THOUGHTS 


PAM. 

M1$C» 


V/ vS. 


//rN 


MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRIZE, 

WITH  THE 

OUTLINES  OF  A  PLAN 

FOR 

GIVING  GREATER  EFFICIENCY 


TO 

MISSIONS  IN  GENERAL. 


BY  JAMES  JOHNSTON, 

PASTOR  OF  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  FRAMINGHAM. 


THOUGHTS 


ON 

MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRIZE, 


WITH  THE  OUTLINES  OF 


A  PLAN  FOR  GIVING  GREATER  EFFICIENCY 


TO 

MISSIONS  IN  GENERAL. 


And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying,  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  Teaching  them  to  ob¬ 
serve  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you :  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  Amen. — Matthew  xxviii.  18, 19, 20. 


BY  JAMES  JOHNSTON, 

PASTOR  OF  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  FRAMINGHAM. 


BOSTON  : 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR. 

1843. 


w 


4 


* 


. 


X 


vv 


S 


PREFACE. 


The  following  thoughts  on  modern  missionary  enterprize,  are 
earnestly  recommended  to  the  consideration  of  the  followers  of 
Jesus  Christ,  among  the  various  evangelical  denominations  who 
are  engaged  on  one  common  principle  as  missionary  bodies  in  the 
propagation  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen.  The  importance 
of  the  topic  will  be  considered  sufficient  to  justify  the  inquiry 
which  I  have  made  as  to  the  working  of  the  system  now  in  general 
operation;  and  as  its  results,  after  an  experience  of  half  a  century, 
give  no  very  good  ground  to  anticipate  a  larger  amount  of  success 
than  has  already  been  obtained  from  it,  the  plan  I  propose  for 
adoption  will,  at  least,  I  hope,  meet  with  a  candid  and  a  prayerful 
consideration  from  the  friends  of  religion. 

Besides,  it  is  high  time  that  the  present  fiscal  management  of 
missionary  corporations  should  be  put  an  end  to.  Since  their  or¬ 
ganization  they  have  proceeded  upon  the  eleemosynary  principle; 
and  highly  objectionable  as  this  is  in  a  case  where  it  is  admitted 
there  is  no  lack  of  wealth  in  the  churches,  but  an  indisposition  to 
part  with  it;  this  evil  is  increased  by  the  circumstance  of  almost 
every  such  organization  operating  beyond  its  means,  expending 
far  more  than  its  income,  and  deeply  involved  in  debt,  and  thus 
doing  in  the  cause  of  religion  what  would  not  be  expedient  or  jus¬ 
tifiable  in  the  ordinary  transactions  of  life.  I  ask,  should  we  do 
evil  that  good  may  come? 

The  eleemosynary  system,  to  which  I  have  alluded  as  the  basis 
of  modern  missionary  effort  has  filled  me  even  to  loathing  when  I 
have  read  of  the  rebuffs  to  which  a  man  like  Fuller,  the  first  Sec¬ 
retary  of  the  Serampore  Missionary  Society,  was  subjected  while 
going  about  in  quest  of  subscriptions  for  its  support;  and  the  same 


IV 


PREFACE. 


feeling  has  been  excited  towards  it  when  I  have  heard  of  its  re¬ 
quiring  or  countenancing  the  females  of  England  to  forsake  their 
proper  sphere,  the  piety  of  home,  to  solicit  from  door  to  door  do¬ 
nations  to  a  cause  which  the  churches  themselves  were  fully  com¬ 
petent  to  sustain;  while  in  our  own  country  the  continual  outcry 
for  money  from  missionary  directors  is  heard  on  every  hand  and 
by  all  sorts  of  voices,  by  speeches,  by  pointed  appeals  in  the  pul¬ 
pit  and  out  of  it,  just  as  if  the  people  of  God  had  nothing  to  do 
with  missionary  enterprize  but  to  give  of  their  money  to  the  few 
individuals  who,  under  cover  of  an  unscriptural  system,  have  become 
its  sole  directors  and  managers.  Now  such  things  ought  not  to 
be,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  course  of  remark  contained  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  essay.  Neither  should  we  hear  about  the  onerous  nature 
of  missionary  direction.  Why  should  men  voluntarily  impose 
upon  themselves  duties  which  they  avow  they  consider  to  be 
onerous,  “who,”  to  use  the  language  of  the  President  of  the 
Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Rev.  D.  Sharp,  D.  T).,  in 
his  published  letter  addressed  to  the  Rev.  B.  Stow  of  Boston, 
“have  grown  gray  in  the  unpaid,  but  mind-exhausting  and  time- 
sacrificing  cause  of  missions,  ”  when  by  the  adoption  of  a  scriptu¬ 
ral  system  of  enterprize,  the  burden  of  it,  if  it  be  a  burden,  would 
be  laid  upon  the  shoulders  of  those  whom  Jesus  Christ  intended 
should  bear  it  in  the  churches  of  his  saints,  in  that  privacy  of  ac¬ 
tion  in  which  all  are  brethren,  and  where  no  supremacy  is  per¬ 
mitted  or  is  claimed. 

With  individual  characters,  however,  I  have  no  fault  to  find.  My 
quarrel  is  with  religious  missionary  corporations.  I  may  seem, 
it  is  possible,  to  some  persons,  to  have  singled  out  that  of  the  de¬ 
nomination  with  which  I  have  the  honor  of  being  connected  to 
particular  animadversion.  But  this  arises  simply  from  the  circum¬ 
stance  of  my  being  better  acquainted  with  its  general  proceedings 
than  I  am  with  the  missionary  direction  of  other  corporations, 
while  I  am  satisfied  that  they  all  bear  one  common  character. 
Besides,  the  decidedly  independent  character  of  the  Baptist 
churches,  and  of  which  we  justly  boast,  demands  from  their  mem¬ 
bers  that  this  independence  should  not  be  tamely  surrendered  or 
be  suffered  to  be  usurped  as  is  the  case  in  missionary  organiza¬ 
tions  where  a  decided  display  of  aristocratic  influence  is  permitted 
to  subvert  this  independence,  and  a  pecuniary  qualification  made 
the  prerequisite  of  membership  and  the  basis  of  a  system  professing, 
to  work  out  the  great  commission  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the 


PREFACE. 


V 


heathen,  but  in  fact  usurping  the  action  of  the  churches  of  Christ,  as 
independent  missionary  bodies,  in  this  most  important  particular. 

The  inconsistent  character  of  such  organizations  as  I  have  al¬ 
luded  to  with  the  associations  of  the  New  Testament,  that  is,  the 
churches  of  Christ,  must  be  seen  in  a  moment  when  viewed  in  the 
light  in  which  I  have  now  exhibited  it;  and  the  sooner  it  is  aban¬ 
doned  the  better  for  one  in  strict  accordance  with  the  will  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  question  is,  is  a  civil  establishment  of  a  portion  of 
a  religious  denomination  for  doing  the  work  of  preaching  the  gos¬ 
pel  to  the  heathen  permitted  by  the  New  Testament,  when  it  is  the 
duty  of  individual  churches  to  do  so?  or  if  that  question  will  not 
settle  the  matter,  I  may  be  permitted  to  ask,  can  there  be  any 
other  organization  more  perfect  or  more  adapted  to  answer  every 
purpose  which  the  Lord  had  in  view  by  the  dispensation  of  the 
gospel,  than  that  which  is  the  result  of  his  infinite  wisdom,  the  or¬ 
ganization  of  a  New  Testament  church? 

It  is  astonishing  how  easily  men’s  minds  are  led  astray  from  the 
simplicity  which  is  in  Christ,  if  they  be  but  brought  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  that  which  has  become  popular,  never  inquiring  whether 
it  is  based  upon  the  authority  of  God,  or  even  whether  it  can 
stand  the  simplest  examination.  A  writer  in  the  Christian  Re¬ 
view  for  September,  1842,  (article,  The  Great  Commission,)  page 
392,  describes  the  theory  of  missionary  organization.  He  sup¬ 
poses  a  number  of  individuals  savingly  brought  under  the  influence 
of  the  gospel.  “They  are  formed  into  a  church — And  as  soon  as 
this  first  church  has  been  instrumental  in  calling  into  existence 
others  in  its  vicinity,  they  combine  their  influence  again  for  the 
same  good  object,  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel.  ”  But  I  would 
inquire,  why  should  not  ihe  churches  so  formed,  imitate  the  ex¬ 
ample  of  the  mother  church  in  her  single-handed  effort,  and  seek, 
like  her,  individually  to  extend  the  gospel?  Is  it  likely  they  would 
be  less  successful  than  their  progenitor?  or  is  it  the  nature  of 
Christianity  to  be  less  powerful  and  influential  the  more  it  is  dif¬ 
fused  in  society?  If  not,  why  then  combine  together  in  an  asso¬ 
ciation  which  they  find  from  experience  weakens  rather  than 
strengthens  their  power  of  doing  good?  It  is  true  such  an 
association  may  embrace  men  of  great  talents,  wealth  and  re¬ 
spectability  in  the  churches,  but  we  might  as  well  talk  of  in¬ 
creasing  the  power  of  an  army  to  conquer  and  subdue  a  ter¬ 
ritory  which  it  had  invaded,  by  subtracting  from  its  various  bat¬ 
talions  their  colonels  and  staff  and  other  officers,  leaving  behind 


VI 


PREFACE. 


in  the  camp  the  rank  and  file  and  non-commissioned  officers,  and 
sending  the  former  forth  with  the  general  in  command  to  conquer 
and  subdue,  by  the  splendor  of  their  epaulettes,  the  gorgeousness 
of  their  uniform,  and  the  authority  of  their  titles,  rank  and  commis¬ 
sions. 

The  attention  that  is  being  given  to  the  subject  of  missions  at 
the  present  time,  encourages  me  to  hope  that  something  will  be 
done  towards  effecting  a  reformation  in  the  working  of  the  great 
commission.  The  various  associations  of  young  men  formed  for 
the  express  purpose  of  missionary  inquiry  in  this  country  is  en¬ 
couraging,  and  I  trust  their  inquiries  will  be  directed  to  practical 
results  rather  than  to  topics  which  may  be  termed  the  romance  of 
missions,  or  to  philosophical  investigations  on  the  subject,  and 
that  as  Christians  and  lovers  of  the  Saviour  and  philanthropists  in 
the  noblest  sense  of  the  term,  they  will  engage  heart  and  hand 
without  delay  in  seeking  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  by  the  in¬ 
dividual  action  of  the  churches  of  which  they  are  members,  with¬ 
out  the  intervention  of  an  agency  such  as  is  afforded  by  mission¬ 
ary  corporations. 

It  will  be  to  me  a  source  of  deep  regret  if  the  spirit  which  has 
led  to  the  formation  of  young  men’s  societies  for  missionary  in¬ 
quiry  be  permitted  to  evaporate,  and  lose  itself  in  the  very  trivial 
matter  of  patronizing  lectures  drilled  and  bored  from  encyclope¬ 
dias  and  similar  sources,  or  in  listening  to  mere  missionary  decla¬ 
mation  from  popular  speakers,  and  then  to  be  embodied  in  one  of 
the  multiplied  forms  under  which  dollars  and  cents  are  collected  in 
support  of  a  system  which  cries  give,  give,  and  never  can  be  sat¬ 
isfied,  possessing  all  the  clamorousness  of  mendicity,  without 
the  dignity  and  grace  of  a  poor,  but  virtuous  vital  Christianity. 

If  Christ  is  to  entreat  and  plead,  “  in  forma  pauperis,  ”  this  can 
only  be  done  by  His  true  and  proper  representatives,  the  churches 
of  His  saints;  but  I  have  submitted  a  plan,  which,  if  adopted,  will 
encircle  Him  with  a  halo  of  glory  in  His  churches,  instead  of  ex¬ 
hibiting  him  as  hitherto  like  a  Lazarus  fed  with  the  crumbs  falling 
from  our  tables. 


THOUGHTS 


ON 


MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRIZE. 


To  the  mind  of  the  Christian,  awake  to  duty  and  to  a  deep 
sense  of  responsibility,  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  world 
is  truly  appalling  ;  for  although  eighteen  centuries  have  elapsed 
since  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  commissioned  his 
churches  to  evangelize  the  world,  more  than  three  fourths  of  its 
vast  population  are  at  this  moment  ready  to  perish  and  to  sink 
into  hell,  enveloped  in  all  the  darkness,  degradation  and  misery  of 
idolatry. 

During  the  last  half  century  something  has  been  attempted  to 
ameliorate  this  fearful  condition,  but  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
slow  progress  made  in  its  amelioration  is  exceedingly  discouraging, 
for  after  every  exertion  during  this  long  period  by  various  denom¬ 
inations  of  orthodox  Christians,  all  that  has  been  subtracted  from 
the  vast  ocean  of  idolatry,  is  but  as  a  drop;  and  we  are  warranted 
in  the  conclusion  that  unless  some  important  changes  be  effected 
in  the  agency  or  means  employed  to  convert  the  heathen  world, 
that  so  the  bright  predictions  of  scripture  prophecy  may  be  fully 
realized,  it  is  as  vain  and  useless  to  expect  it  from  modern  mis¬ 
sionary  organizations  as  the  attempt  would  be  to  drain  one  of  our 
large  inland  lakes  by  the  help  of  a  bowl  or  of  a  tea-spoon. 

I  am  well  aware  that  not  a  few  are  of  opinion  that  missionary 
effort  has  been  eminently  successful,  and  this  opinion  has  been  in-. 


8 


dustriously  circulated  and  made  the  subject  of  gratulation  by  those 
interested  in  its  management.  But  while  I  fully  respond  to  all 
that  has  resulted  of  benefit  to  the  world,  and  to  the  unutterable, 
the  priceless  value  of  the  human  soul,  and  shall  concede  that  the 
salvation  of  one  soul  is  worth  all,  and  more  than  all  that  has  ever 
been  expended,  or  can  be  expended  in  the  shape  of  human  effort, 
still  this  must  not  satisfy  our  expectations  or  our  desires.  We 
are  to  be  guided  in  these,  by  the  expressed  will  of  God,  by  the 
bountiful  nature  of  the  provision  of  the  gospel  for  man’s  necessities 
as  a  sinner,  and  by  a  due  regard  to  the  glory  of  Christ  in  the  ex¬ 
tension  of  His  kingdom,  to  whom  is  promised  the  heathen  for  His 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His  possession. 

If  we  refer  to  the  official  recorded  statistics  of  some  of  the 
principal  missionary  societies,  it  will  be  found  that  so  far  from  the 
success  of  modern  missionary  enterprize  being  a  cause  of  gratula¬ 
tion,  the  results  of  their  labors  call  rather  for  deep  humiliation  be¬ 
fore  God.  For  instance,  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions  was  instituted  in  Jan.  1810,  and  its  commu¬ 
nicants  in  1839  only  numbered  7,311.  The  Baptist  Board  for 
Foreign  Missions  was  instituted  in  the  year  1814,  and  its  commu¬ 
nicants  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  America,  in  1842,  only 
amounted  to  3,700  persons. 

Again,  that  magnificent  missionary  organization,  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  embracing  in  its  direction  and  membership 
persons  from  all  the  various  evangelical  denominations  of  Great 
Britain,  and  formed  in  the  year  1795,  after  an  existence  of  nearly 
fifty  years,  had  only  in  1842,  13,156  communicants  in  the  various 
quarters  of  the  world.  And  yet  this  pitiful  amount  of  success, 
with  upwards  of  1,000  persons  employed  as  missionaries,  in  the 
service  of  these  three  powerful  evangelical  missionary  societies,  is 
to  be  regarded  as  a  cause  of  gratulation  ! !  To  me  it  is  a  cause 
of  utter  astonishment  that  any  one  can  be  found  who  can  view 
these  results  in  any  degree  satisfactory. 

What  would  the  primitive  Christians  have  thought  of  such  a 
measure  of  success,  notwithstanding  the  world  was  up  in  arms 
against  them  and  the  religion  they  propagated?  In  some  of  the 
heathen  cities  of  Greece  or  Asia,  it  is  not  improbable  there  were 
found,  within  a  few  years  after  the  ascension  of  Christ,  a  far  greater 
number  of  converts  to  Christianity  than  all  these  put  together,  as 


9 


the  result  of  thirty  to  fifty  years’  toil  on  the  part  of  those  three 
large  corporate  missionary  bodies. 

If  the  Lord’s  hand  be  not  shortened  that  it  cannot  save,  and  if, 
as  doubtless  it  will  be  admitted,  that  the  spirit  of  the  commission 
as  recorded  in  the  gospel  by  Matthew  xxviii,  18-20,  demands 
that  all  who  participate  in  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  themselves, 
are  bound  to  communicate  these  blessings  to  others,  it  becomes 
imperative,  then,  upon  all  such  to  inquire  into  the  causes  which  may 
have  led  to  such  a  fearful  condition  as  that  which  the  heathen  world 
still  presents  at  this  moment,  and  which  are  impeding  its  evangeli¬ 
zation. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  such  an  inquiry  has  never  been  suffi¬ 
ciently  made,  and  to  this  very  circumstance  may  be  attributed  not 
a  little  of  the  apathy  displayed  with  regard  to  the  present  condition 
and  future  prospects  of  the  heathen.  That  a  spirit  of  indifference 
to  the  condition  of  the  heathen  prevails  to  a  most  alarming  extent 
cannot  be  doubted,  while  it  is  impossible  to  justify  it  upon  any 
Christian  principle;  and  any  inquiry  which  might  have  a  tendency 
towards  the  removal  of  this  apathy  and  culpable  indifference  to¬ 
wards  the  condition  of  the  heathen,  ought  to  be  hailed  with  satis¬ 
faction. 

However  important  the  inquiry  therefore  is,  it  is  not  my  inten 
tion  to  attempt  anything  like  such  an  investigation  as  the  impor 
tance  of  the  case  demands.  The  limits  of  our  pamphlet  will  not 
admit  of  it.  But  I  may  be  permitted  to  affirm  that  the  present 
condition  of  the  heathen  world  does  not  arise  from  the  following 
considerations. 

1.  From  the  sovereignty  of  God,  so  as  to  exclude  culpability 
from  ourselves;  for  the  sovereignty  of  God  has  not  been  made  the 
subject  of  experiment,  and  cannot  be  until  the  gospel  be  fully 
preached  to  the  heathen,  when  its  rejection  or  its  reception  by 
them  will  then,  and  not  until  then,  indicate  the  sovereignty  of  God 
without  our  culpability  in  the  matter.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
churches  to  communicate  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  leaving 
the  results  to  the  sovereignty  of  God  in  its  saving  application  to 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  those  to  whom  it  is  declared.  The  doc¬ 
trine  of  the  Divine  sovereignty,  has  no  more  to  do  with  our  duty 
in  sending  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  than  the  scriptural  doctrine 
of  election  with  the  duty  of  every  man  who  hears  the  gospel  to 
2 


10 


embrace  it  and  to  believe  it.  To  shelter  ourselves  under  the  one 
or  the  other,  as  relieving  us  from  the  weighty  obligations  these 
considerations  involve,  must  bring  upon  us  an  awful  amount  of 
guilt  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  has  so  mercifully  interposed  in  our 
behalf,  and  in  behalf  of  the  heathen;  and  as  God  has  so  loved  the 
world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  Him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life,  it  is 
our  duty  to  communicate  the  gospel,  in  the  hope  of  its  cordial 
reception  by  all  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 

2.  Neither  does  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  arise 
from  any  lack  of  adaptation  in  the  gospel  itself,  to  their  present 
condition  and  circumstances.  These  are  the  same  as  the  human 
family  has  always  presented,  while  the  gospel  itself  is  as  unchange¬ 
able  as  its  author. 

3.  Neither  does  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  arise 
from  the  refusal  of  the  Lord  to  work  with  His  people.  The  par¬ 
tial  success  which  has  accompanied  missionary  effort  during  the 
last  half  century,  proves  that  God  will  always  work  when  His  peo¬ 
ple  work.  It  is  affirmed  by  the  author  of  one  of  the  gospels,  the 
evangelist  Mark,  after  recording  the  commission  to  preach  the  gos¬ 
pel  to  every  creature,  that  the  Lord  worked  with  them  in  doing  so; 
and  looking  at  the  history  of  the  propagation  of  Christianity,  it  is 
evident  that  until  the  church  ceased  to  work  out  this  commission, 
He  ceased  not  to  bless  the  world  with  His  renewing  and  sancti¬ 
fying  grace.  The  moment  the  churches  of  Christ  resume  their 
proper  work,  that  moment  the  Lord  will  make  bare  His  holy  arm 
and  work  with  them  as  in  days  of  old. 

4.  Neither  does  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  world 
arise  from  the  circumstance,  that  much  of  intellectual  greatness 
has  not  been  called  into  requisition,  in  the  evangelizing  of  the  hea¬ 
then.  Supposing  this  was  true,  God  does  not  require  it,  and  for 
this  very  reason,  “that  the  excellency  of  the  power  may  be  of  God, 
and  not  of  us.  ”  He  has  wisely  determined  that  an  agency  bear¬ 
ing  another  stamp  than  that  of  intellectual  greatness  shall  accom¬ 
plish  the  mighty  object.  “But  God,  ”  says  the  apostle,  “hath 
chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise,  and 
God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things 


11 


which  are  despised  hath  God  chosen ;  yea,  and  things  which  are 
not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are,  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in 
His  presence.  ” 

Now  this  was  the  character  of  primitive  instrumentality;  and  if 
so,  the  low  standard  which  has  been  supposed  as  marking  the 
character  of  modern  instrumentality  must  not  be  considered  as  one 
of  the  causes  for  the  present  deplorable  condition  of  the  heathen 
in  the  nineteenth  century  after  Christ.  I  fear  the  error  rather  lies 
in  an  opposite  direction,  and  that  intellectual  qualifications  have 
been  more  prized  and  sought  after  in  the  missionary  of  the  cross, 
than  the  wants  of  the  heathen  world  demanded,  while  God  was 
determining  by  frequent  demonstration  the  wisdom  of  His  deter¬ 
mination  as  to  the  character  of  human  instrumentality,  by  causing 
the  simple  presentation  of  the  story  of  His  love,  by  the  gift  of  His 
Son  as  a  suffering  Saviour,  to  find  its  way  into  the  hearts  of  the 
most  savage  and  untutored  tribes  of  earth.  Told  in  artless  simpli¬ 
city,  and  clothed  with  its  own  native  charms,  it  has  been  embraced 
and  welcomed  by  the  stupid  Greenlander,  the  voluptuous  Polyne¬ 
sian,  the  gentle  Hindoo  and  the  ferocious  inhabitant  of  New  Zea¬ 
land;  while  men  from  the  most  degraded  tribes  of  Africa  have 
held  out  their  sable  hands  to  God  imploring  mercy,  all  conquered 
and  subdued  by  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

5.  The  present  condition  of  the  heathen  does  not  arise  from 
the  inadequacy  of  the  means  placed  at  our  disposal. 

There  is  no  lack  of  means,  so  far  as  numerical  strength  is  con¬ 
cerned,  in  connection  with  mental,  physical  or  spiritual  advantages. 
The  sacramental  host  comprises  hundreds  of  thousands,  I  might 
say,  millions,  who  all  ought  to  feel  and  acknowledge  their  personal 
obligations  to  aid  in  the  evangelizing  of  the  heathen  world.  I 
question  whether  there  were  so  much  of  numerical  strength  in  the 
primitive  churches  at  the  time  they  achieved  so  much,  as  there  is  at 
the  present  day,  and  yet  at  no  very  distant  period  from  the  pro¬ 
mulgation  of  Christianity,  the  heathen  priesthood  were  compelled 
to  acknowledge  that  their  temples  were  depopulated,  and  their 
idols  famished. 

In  the  case  of  the  apostle  Paul,  we  have  a  specimen  of  the 
prowess  of  the  primitive  churches,  who,  as  the  apostle  of  the  Gen¬ 
tiles,  carried  the  gospel  into  all  parts  of  the  known  world,  achiev- 


12 


ing  almost  single-handed  those  bloodless  victories  of  the  cross  of 
Christ  with  a  celerity  and  a  power  utterly  unknown  in  modern 
times. 

And  who  was  the  apostle  Paul?  It  is  true  he  was  an  accredit¬ 
ed  ambassador  of  Christ,  and  the  seals  of  his  apostleship  he  un¬ 
doubtedly  displayed  by  his  miraculous  endowments.  But  he  had 
about  him  many  drawbacks.  He  was  not  supported  by  a  power¬ 
ful  missionary  corporation,  but  only  commended  to  the  grace  of 
God  by  the  church  which  sent  him  forth  to  labor,  and  when  sent 
forth,  receiving  more  rebukes  from  the  world  than  favors,  so  that 
the  apostleship  itself,  were  it  to  be  had  upon  such  terms  in  the 
present  day  as  he  possessed  it  in  his,  it  would  go  a  begging  for  lack 
of  candidates.  At  Corinth  he  was  a  tentmaker,  and  in  Rome  and 
elsewhere  a  prisoner,  everywhere  presenting  a  picture  of  external 
human  misery,  <cin  weariness,  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness;  ” 
and  yet  he  never  dropped  the  missionary  character,  but  calmly 
threaded  his  weary  way  through  this  world’s  miseries,  “as  sor¬ 
rowful,  yet  always  rejoicing,  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God.  ” 

And  wherein  lay  his  power  of  endurance  and  of  suffering,  and 
the  secret  of  his  enlarged  benevolence,  which  prompted  him  to  do 
so  much,  and  to  suffer  so  much?  It  was  the  love  of  Christ  con¬ 
strained  him,  because  he  thus  judged,  “that  if  one  died  for  all, 
then  were  all  dead,  and  that  he  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live, 
should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  which 
died  for  them  and  rose  again.  ” 

But  there  are  other  means  placed  under  our  control  than  merely 
numerical  strength,  which  gives  us  a  superiority  over  primitive  la¬ 
borers  in  the  enterprize  of  evangelizing  the  heathen.  The  world 
was  not  blessed  with  those  arts  of  life  which  tend  so  greatly  to 
facilitate  the  intercourse  of  mankind.  Why,  Paul’s  voyage  in  the 
Mediterranean  sea  and  journey  to  Rome,  which  occupied  so  many 
weeks,  is  now  accomplished  in  a  few  days,  and  with  little  or  no 
hazard,  while  the  most  distant  portions  of  the  world  are  visited 
with  comfort  and  safety,  and  a  celerity  wholly  unknown  in  primitive 
times.  Besides,  we  have  that  mighty  engine,  the  press,  far  more 
than  counterbalancing  the  gift  of  tongues  on  Pentecost ;  while  to 
give  power  to  all  these  physical  advantages,  evangelical  Christianity, 


13 


embracing  its  hundreds  of  thousands  of  communicants,  speaks  but 
•one  common  language,  both  in  the  eastern  and  western  hemis¬ 
pheres,  developing  a  power  unknown  to  primitive  times,  and  of 
the  advantages  of  which,  evangelization  has  not  yet  reaped  the 
benefit,  by  reason  of  the  sectarian  spirit  which,  in  spite  of  the 
teachings  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  everywhere  prevails. 

If  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  world  cannot  with  truth 
be  attributed  to  any  of  the  causes  specified,  to  what  then  is  it  to 
be  attributed  ?  I  answer,  to  the  following  causes. 

1.  To  the  total  absence  of  zeal  in  regard  to  the  diffusion  of 
the  gospel  among  the  heathen.  A  listless  indifference  is  charac¬ 
teristic  of  the  age,  notwithstanding  all  that  is  attempted  to  rouse 
the  dormant  energies  of  Christians.  But  to  the  present  system  of 
missionary  enterprize  may  be  justly  attributed  a  large  portion  of 
this  indifference.  By  the  present  system,  it  is  everybody’s  busi¬ 
ness,  and  nobody’s  business  to  evangelize  the  heathen.  It  lacks 
individuality,  and  hence  there  is  no  room  for  the  operation  of 
zeal  in  its  behalf.  It  never  disturbs  the  conscience.  A  man 
may  be  aroused  to  inquire  what  is  wanted  of  him  with  regard  to 
the  heathen.  He  is  answered,  give  us  money;  that  is  all  that  is 
required  of  you.  And  is  it  possible  he  can  consider  missionary 
effort,  as  far  as  he  is  concerned,  but  a  thing  of  u  foreign  concern¬ 
ment?  ”  He  has  no  voice  in  the  appointment  of  the  missionary, 
nor  anything  to  do  with  the  selection  of  the  field  of  labor;  the  cor¬ 
respondence  with  the  missionary  is  out  of  his  hands;  it  is  con¬ 
ducted  by  persons  with  whom  he  has  no  acquaintanceship;  in  short 
he  has  as  little  to  do  with  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen,  as  he 
has  with  the  government  of  his  country,  nay,  much  less, — and  I  ask, 
is  it  possible  in  such  circumstances,  can  that  zeal  exist,  the  ab¬ 
sence  of  which  is  shedding  at  present  so  destructive  an  influence 
over  the  interests  of  the  heathen.  It  is  impossible.  The  unalter¬ 
able  laws  of  the  human  mind  forbid  its  existence. 

But  this  lack  of  zeal  is  not  only  wanting  in  the  churches,  but  I 
fear  it  is  wanting,  to  a  great  extent  in  the  missionary.  Doubtless 
there  are  many  exceptions,  but  no  man  should  be  engaged  as  a 
missionary,  no  matter  what  are  his  attainments,  who  is  destitute  of 
it.  The  ears  of  all  such  should  ring  with  the  words  of  our  Lord, 

What  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his 


14 


own  soul,  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?”  and 
thus  impelled,  press  forward  under  its  influence  into  the  depths  of 
this  world’s  miseries,  disregarding  all  earthly  considerations,  ex¬ 
claiming,  if  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  hand  forget  its  cun¬ 
ning,  and  my  tongue  cleave  unto  the  rOof  of  my  mouth. 

In  no  cause,  can  anything  like  distinguished  success  be  antici¬ 
pated,  where  zeal  in  its  behalf  is  wanting;  and  this  holds  equally  so 
in  the  propagation  of  the  gospel.  Without  it,  mental  endowments 
are  as  nothing.  It  is  in  fact,  indispensable  to  the  Christian  mission¬ 
ary.  With  it,  the  primitive  Christians  “turned  the  world  upside 
down.  ”  Let  one  man  be  found  with  it  in  his  possession,  absorb¬ 
ing  his  time,  his  thoughts,  his  pursuits,  let  the  enlargement  of 
Christ’s  kingdom  be  the  ruling  passion,  and  that  man,  if  placed  in 
the  missionary  field,  will  achieve  more  than  a  host,  if  it  may  be,  of 
well  informed,  intellectual  men,  trained  up  and  fitted  with  all  the 
classical  endowments  of  the  age,  but  destitute  of  that  absorbing 
zeal  which  characterized  the  individual.  Such  was  John  the  Bap¬ 
tist,  that  missionary  pioneer  of  the  Lamb  of  God.  u  He  was  a 
burning  and  a  shining  light,  ”  and  his  success  comported  with  the 
scriptural  delineation  of  his  character,  for  fervent  quenchless  zeal. 

Contrast  a  Francis  Xavier  with  the  generality  of  men  des¬ 
patched  as  missionaries  of  the  cross  in  the  present  day.  Instead 
of  offering  themselves  on  the  altar  of  devoted  love  to  God  and 
man,  they  are  in  too  many  cases,  it  is  to  be  feared,  swayed  by  a 
variety  of  motives,  independent  entirely  of  that  zeal  which  should 
induce  to  so  holy  and  so  noble  a  consecration,  and  which  Xavier 
so  conspicuously  displayed.  With  no  opposition  to  encounter, 
like  the  illustrious  individual  to  whom  I  have  alluded,  months  are 
devoted  to  preparation  and  to  outfit.  A  companion  is  selected. 
The  voyage  is  undertaken  and  finished.  He  arrives  safely  at  his 
place  of  destination.  There  the  little  of  romance  which  tinctured 
his  imagination  leaves  him.  His  spirit  sinks.  He  sighs  for  home, 
and  moping  out  a  monotonous  existence,  sinks  into  the  grave  un¬ 
der  the  paralyzing  influence  of  spiritual  weakness,  in  a  cause  in 
which  he  should  have  manifested  a  giant  spirit,  or  else  remained 
at  home.  Such,  it  is  to  be  feared,  is  the  character  of  too  many  of 
our  modern  missionaries.  The  papal  missionary  alluded  to,  Xavier, 
was  distinguished  for  his  learning,  his  eloquence  and  his  other  ac- 


/ 


15 

complishments,  but  fired  with  zeal  to  carry  the  gospel  to  distant 
lands,  and  overcoming  all  the  obstacles  thrown  in  his  way  by  argu¬ 
ment,  ridicule,  or  lack  of  co-operation,  he  fearlessly  threw  himself 
into  the  first  vessel  that  offered  itself  for  India,  depending  for  his 
existence  upon  the  bounty  of  his  fellow  passengers  for  daily  bread; 
and  arriving  on  the  shores  of  India,  rushed  into  the  thickest  of  its 
midnight  moral  darkness,  with  no  other  guide  than  his  burning 
zeal,  enkindling  a  flame  of  heaven’s  light  wherever  he  went,  con¬ 
quering,  or  overcoming  all  difficulties,  till  at  last  he  breathed  his 
last  breath,  the  spiritual  conqueror  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  de¬ 
graded  heathen,  in  India,  China  and  Japan. 

2.  To  the  selfish,  grasping,1,  covetous  character  of  religious 
profession  in  the  present  day,  may  be  ascribed  the  painful  lack  of 
missionary  effort  amongst  us.  The  haste  to  be  rich,  the  desire 
to  appear  so,  the  love  of  the  world,  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lusts 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  all  these  are  acting  with  a  fearful 
influence  in  impeding  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  amongst  the  hea¬ 
then.  Money  is  required, — it  cannot  be  spared  from  our  lusts. 
Men  are  required  by  the  thousands, — they  will  not  come  forward. 
The  young  and  the  vigorous,  educating  in  our  theological  institu¬ 
tions  for  the  ministry,  are  nearly  in  all  cases  preparing  to  fill  parishes 
at  home,  while  ministers  of  Christ,  qualified  from  age  and  experience 
to  fill  such  parishes,  are  driven  from  them  and  laid  upon  the  shelf,  as 
unfitted  for  an  age  of  excitement  and  denominational  ascendancy. 

If  Paul,  while  writing  to  the  Philipians  from  Rome,  lamented 
the  existence  of  such  a  spirit  of  selfishness  as  was  displayed  around 
him  there,  tcfor  all  seek  their  own,”  said  he,  tc not  the  things 
which  are  Jesus  Christ’s,”  I  wonder  what  he  would  say,  were 
he  permitted  to  revisit  earth,  and  pen  a  description  of  existing  pro¬ 
fession.  I  fear  it  would  be  an  exceedingly  dark  and  gloomy  pic¬ 
ture,  and  few  or  none  could  be  found  who  could  say  to  their  Mas¬ 
ter,  Christ,  uLo,  we  have  left  all,  and  followed  thee.  ” 

3.  Another  cause  of  the  present  condition  of  the  heathen  world 
is  the  present  system  of  superintending,  and  fiscal  agency  em¬ 
ployed. 

When  Christians  about  fifty  years  ago  were  at  length  to  some 
extent,  aroused  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  to  the  heathen,  the  effort 
put  forth  by  them,  unfortunately  took  a  wrong  direction,  by  the 


16 


employment  of  the  present  fiscal  agency,  and  general  superintend¬ 
ence  of  an  institution  unknown  to,  and  unauthorized  by  the  New 
Testament;  and  that  beaten  track  has  been  ever  since  that  pe¬ 
riod  followed  with  but  little  or  no  deviation  from  it,  both  in  Eu¬ 
rope  and  in  America,  notwithstanding  its  unscriptural  character. 
It  threw  the  collection  of  funds  for  missionary  purposes  upon  the 
eleemosynary  principle,  and  removed  the  responsibility  of  the 
management  of  missionary  labor  from  the  churches  of  Christ  and 
placed  it  upon  combinations  unknown  to  the  New  Testament.  In 
that  pure  code  of  duty  and  example,  the  churches  are  supposed  to 
be  capable  of  doing,  if  they  will,  the  whole  will  of  the  Lord,  with¬ 
out  the  aid  of  worldly  and  carnal  policy,  and  I  apprehend  that  ex¬ 
cepting  their  compulsory  character,  civil  establishments  of  religion 
might  be  pleaded  for,  in  support  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  with 
as  much  propriety  as  the  complicated  machinery  of  corporate  mis¬ 
sionary  societies,  comprising  Presidents,  Vice  Presidents,  Boards 
of  Management,  Treasurers,  Home,  Foreign  and  Recording  Sec¬ 
retaries,  all  bearing  their  blushing  honors  thick  upon  them,  like  the 
arch-bishops,  bishops,  deans  and  chapters  of  a  civil  establishment 
of  Christianity. 

And  yet  some  persons  will  affirm  that  this  is  all  scriptural,  and 
profess  to  see  in  the  Baptist  Triennial  Convention,  for  instance, 
an  organization  quite  apostolic;  but  for  my  own  part,  I  have  never 
been  able  to  discover  it.  Some  have  supposed  that  the  germ  of 
the  plan  of  the  Triennial  Convention  may  be  found  in  the  case  of 
the  contributions  made  by  the  gentile  churches,  and  carried  by 
delegation  to  the  poor  saints  in  Jerusalem.  But  there  can  be  no 
parallel  drawn  betwixt  them  in  favor  of  the  Convention.  These 
contributions  were  made  for  a  specific  and  a  temporary  purpose,  the 
relief  of  the  poor,  at  a  peculiar  juncture,  occasioned  by  a  famine, 
and  the  money  was  carried  by  deputations  to  Jerusalem,  that  so 
the  love  of  the  respective  churches  who  had  contributed  of  their 
substance,  might  be  more  powerfully  displayed,  by  this  additional 
proof  of  self-denial.  The  truth  is,  the  case  now  under  considera¬ 
tion  is  not  a  case  affording  a  precedent  for  the  formation  of  organ¬ 
izations  by  delegations  intended  to  supplant  the  peculiar  work  of 
the  churches  of  Christ,  but  is  simply  one  of  precedent  and  rule  in 
the  important  matter  of  regulating  the  pecuniary  contributions  of 


I 


17 

the  churches ,  and  extends  no  farther  than  to  these.  The  delega¬ 
tions  accompanying  the  gift  of  money,  were  peculiar  to  the  exi¬ 
gency  of  the  case.  The  delegates  employed,  instead  of  taking 
the  money  to  a  convention,  or  board,  or  society,  which  should 
afterwards  disburse  it  to  applicants,  carried  it  at  once  to  the  very 
spot  where  it  was  needed,  where  misery  was  felt,  and  relief  de¬ 
manded,  and  there  they  disbursed  it. 

Instead,  then,  of  affording  a  precedent  for  such  a  complicated 
machine  as  the  Baptist  Triennial  Convention,  the  pretensions  of 
which  extend  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  the 
very  case  now  cited  in  support  of  it,  is  entirely  against  it,  as  being 
a  scriptural  institution.  In  the  case  of  the  collection  for  the  poor 
saints  in  Jerusalem,  the  money  was  carried  by  the  delegates  to 
the  objects  of  their  bounty,  and  in  doing  so,  no  church  duty  was 
abandoned,  or  delegated  to  them;  but  churches,  attaching  them¬ 
selves  to  the  Baptist  Triennial  Convention,  separate  themselves 
entirely  from  missionary  work,  their  proper  and  imperative  duty, 
save  in  the  matter  of  the  pecuniary  support  of  the  convention, 
while  the  few  churches  who  are  qualified  by  the  rules  of  the  con¬ 
vention,  ( and  they  are  but  few  comparatively, )  to  send  delegates 
to  sit  as  members  in  the  convention,  send  them  upon  the  aristo¬ 
cratic  principle  of  representing  money ,  namely,  a  subscription  of 
three  years  continuance,  of  one  hundred  dollars  annually;  and 
when  they  are  there,  they  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  missionary 
direction,  than  mere  automata,  made  to  be  played  upon  by  the 
wire-drawers  who  conduct  the  movements  of  the  body.  It  is  true, 
a  few  of  the  most  influential  delegates  may  have  resolutions  put 
into  their  hands,  to  be  moved  for  the  adoption  of  the  convention, 
and  it  is  but  fitting  and  proper  that  they  should  have  something  to 
do,  after  a  long  and  expensive  journey  to  meet  the  convention  ; 
while  it  must  be  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  be  so  employed, 
but  alas  !  such  resolutions  contribute  little  towards  the  evangeli¬ 
zing  of  the  heathen.  It  would  be  doubtless  an  advantage  and 
might  be  rendered  a  profitable  subject  of  inquiry,  to  bring  to 
the  light  the  multitude  of  good  resolutions  which  have  been 
moved,  and  seconded,  and  adopted  by  missionary  Boards  and 
Conventions,  with  their  corresponding  fulfilment;  such,  for  ex¬ 
ample,  as  the  famous  Richmond  resolution  of  the  Baptist  Tri- 
3 


18 


ennial  Convention  of  1835,  which  resolved  to  raise  $100,000  for 
the  service  of  that  year,  besides  instructing  the  board  of  manage¬ 
ment  “to  establish  new  missions  in  every  unoccupied  place, 
where  there  may  be  a  reasonable  prospect  of  success,  and  to  em¬ 
ploy  in  s6me  part  of  the  great  field,  every  properly  qualified  mis¬ 
sionary,  whose  services  the  Board  may  be  able  to  obtain.  ” 

By  instituting  such  an  inquiry  as  I  have  now  proposed,  the  folly 
and  wickedness  of  such  a  procedure  of  solemn  trifling  with  the 
everlasting  interests  of  the  heathen  would  be  shown,  and  its  utter, 
and  entire  destitution  of  the  simplicity  which  is  in  Christ,  made 
truly  manifest.  The  Spanish  proverb  says,  and  says  truly,  “that 
the  road  to  hell  is  paved  with  good  intentions.  ”  I  am  confident 
that  other  roads  are  no  less  so,  and  among  them  may  be  found  the 
beaten  track  of  modern  missionary  organizations,  not  only  paved 
with  good  intentions,  but  absolutely  encumbering  and  impeding 
the  traveller  who  may  be  truly  concerned  for  the  welfare  of  the 
perishing  heathen. 

And  1  would  here  inquire,  can  such  an  aristocratic  state  of 
things  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  such  as  I  have 
pointed  out,  and  which  modern  missionary  organizations  exhibit? 
It  is  impossible.  The  evangelizing  of  the  world  is  the  duty  of 
the  churches  of  Christ,  and  cannot  be  delegated  by  them  to  any 
other  body,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  object  of  its  organization, 
or  the  rank,  the  reputation,  or  the  influence  of  its  membership. 
It  is  the  duty  of  churches ,  in  which  all  are  brethren,  and  not  the 
duty  of  the  church  catholic  ( which,  if  it  has  an  existence  has  no 
tangible  visibility,  for  any  purpose  of  utility,)  to  work  out  the 
commission  of  Christ,  which  requires  the  evangelizing  of  the  world, 
and  not  to  commute  this  duty,  by  simply  advancing  money  to 
Conventions,  Missionary  Boards,  or  Missionary  Societies,  all  of 
which,  with  their  high  sounding  pretensions  as  icholesale  mission¬ 
ary  agents,  swallow  up  and  engross  the  spirit  of  missionary  enter- 
prize,  and  render  its  display,  or  its  production,  almost  impossible 
among  the  membership  of  churches. 

If,  then,  this  be  the  true  character  of  the  missionary  enterprize 
of  the  last  fifty  years,  it  ought  not  to  be  matter  of  astonishment 
that  so  little  has  been  done  for  the  heathen,  and  that  the  people  of 
God,  almost  in  despair,  fold  their  hands,  in  utter  astonishment, 


19 


when  they  contemplate  the  picture,  and  say,  “  and  at  this  rate, 
when  shall  the  world  be  evangelized,  and  brought  to  Christ  ? 
When  shall  he  have  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  utter¬ 
most  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession?” 

Why,  the  system  is  deficient  in  love  to  Christ,  and  to  the  souls  of 
men,  and  God  cannot  honor  it,  as  he  did  the  exertions  of  those  who 
were  impelled  in  all  they  did  and  suffered  for  the  diffusion  of  the 
gospel,  by  the  constraining  love  of  Christ.  Money,  money  is  the 
object  of  such  organizations,  and  this,  if  it  be  obtained,  no  matter 
what  may  be  the  principle  which  actuates  the  donors.  The  con¬ 
tinual  cry  is  money,  give  us  money,  and  we  shall  evangelize  the 
heathen;  appealing  to  some  of  the  worst  passions  of  our  fallen  nature, 
to  vanity,  and  to  the  pride  of  distinction,  that  so  they  may  obtain  sup¬ 
plies  of  money,  without  regard  to  the  only  motive  of  all  acceptable 
obedience  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  love  of  the  Saviour.  This  is 
strong  language,  but  let  the  Baptist  Board  for  Foreign  Missions 
speak  for  itself.  In  the  Report  submitted  to  the  Triennial  Conven¬ 
tion  in  1841,  it  says,  “  the  expediency  of  providing  for  the  ap¬ 
pointment  to  honorary  memberships  in  the  Board,  annual,  and  for 
life,  is  also  submitted  respectfully  to  the  consideration  of  the  con¬ 
vention.  The  pecuniary  condition  of  membership  in  the  conven¬ 
tion,  is  the  annual  payment  of  $100.  A  similar  payment,  or  rather 
the  same  might  be  allowed  to  constitute,  also,  an  honorary  mem¬ 
bership  of  the  Board,  for  the  year  or  years  in  which  it  was  made, 
and  the  payment  of  $  at  any  one  time,  to  constitute  an  hono¬ 
rary  life  membership.  A  provision  to  this  end,  would  have  a  direct 
favorable  bearing  upon  the  collection  of  mission  funds,  and  at  the 
same  time,  promote  a  feeling  of  common  interest,  and  of  the  duty  of 
hearty  co-operation  in  some,  who  having  no  personal  agency  in 
the  doings  of  the  committee  or  of  the  Board,  are  liable  to  regard 
them  as  matters  of  foreign  concernment.  ” 

And  can  such  a  recommendation  be  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
of  Christ,  and  his  holy  religion?  No.  It  needs  to  fall  under  the 
exhortation  of  our  blessed  and  humble  Master  to  his  disciples, 
“  except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall 
not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  ”  He  read  this  lesson  to 
aspirants  after  greatness  and  distinction  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
(see  Matthew  xviii. ,  1-4,)  and  I  would  particularly  recoin- 


20 


mend  its  careful  study  to  all  missionary  financiers,  with  whom  the 
end  sanctifies  the  means,  so  long  as  the  present  system  of  mission¬ 
ary  organizations  continues. 

But  even  as  a  system  adapted  to  raise  the  greatest  amount  of 
pecuniary  support,  the  present  organizations  are  greatly  deficient, 
notwithstanding  the  utmost  ingenuity  has  been  resorted  to  by  de¬ 
vising  plans  to  ensure  it,  and  the  most  vigorous  efforts  employed 
to  give  these  plans  efficiency.  And  yet  all  fail.  All  these  soci¬ 
eties  are  in  debt,  expending  more  than  their  receipts,  and  telling 
the  public  so,  in  order  that  it  may  take  compassion  upon  them,  for 
doing  that  for  which  they  would  be  justly  censured  in  private  life. 
Not  a  cent  a  month  is  collected  for  the  missionary  enterprize  from 
the  communicants  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  United 
States,  and  I  suppose  the  working  of  the  system  is  equally  bad 
throughout  the  other  evangelical  denominations,  employed  in  the 
missionary  enterprize.  Though  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the 
United  States  be  perhaps  apparently  the  lowest  in  the  scale  of 
contribution,  when  the  number  of  its  communicants  are  taken  into 
the  account,  the  wealth  of  the  other  denominations,  although  perhaps 
increasing  the  amount  of  their  contributions,  does  not,  in  fact, 
attest  their  liberality,  as  exceeding  that  of  their  Baptist  brethren. 
The  Baptists  in  England  are  often  appealed  to  as  contributing 
far  more  in  proportion  to  their  numbers  than  their  brethren  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic  ;  but  this  is  occasioned  by  the  large  contribu¬ 
tions  they  receive  from  members  of  other  denominations,  whose 
benevolence  cannot  be  confined  by  sectarian  limits. '  In  this 
country  this  is  rarely  the  case,  every  denomination  being  left  to 
its  own  resources. 

No  small  portion  of  the  evils  attaching  to  the  present  sys¬ 
tem  is  occasioned  by  the  continual  artificial  excitement  which 
is  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  the  contributions 
for  missionary  purposes.  An  extraordinary  effort  for  prayer,  for 
the  spread  of  the  gospel,  means,  too  often,  an  extraordinary  effort 
to  raise  money,  instead  of  seeking  the  out-pouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  evangelizing  effort  ;  and  thus  the  pure,  the  holy,  and 
the  benevolent  spirit  which  ought  to  characterize  the  communica¬ 
tion  of  the  gospel  to  the  perishing  heathen,  evaporates,  and  is  lost, 
by  coming  in  contact  with  pretensions,  so  easily  seen  to  be  wholly 
secular,  instead  of  pure,  and  benevolent,  and  holy. 


21 


Another  evil  connected  with  the  present  system  of  missionary 
organizations  is  the  absence  of  responsibility  as  it  respects  pecu¬ 
niary  contributions,  the  neglect  of  which  it  cannot  reach.  A  man 
may  give,  or  he  may  not  give,  just  as  it  pleases  him,  without  in¬ 
curring  any  degree  of  inconvenient  censure;  but  were  missionary 
effort  combined,  as  it  ought  to  be,  with  the  action  of  the  church 
of  which  he  was  a  member,  he  could  not  shrink  from  the  respon¬ 
sibility  of  its  support,  according  to  his  means,  without  incurring  the 
loss  of  the  confidence  of  his  brethren  in  his  religious  character. 
And  why  should  it  not  be  so?  The  man  who  would  neglect  to  con¬ 
tribute  to  the  support  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  at  home,  in  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  member,  would  be  justly  excluded  from 
its  fellowship  for  his  covetousness.  If  then,  the  propagation  of  the 
gospel  abroad  be  equally  his  duty,  the  neglect  of  its  support  should 
be  in  all  cases  visited  with  the  same  penalty.  The  one  must  be 
done,  and  the  other  not  left  undone  ;  and  it  is  high  time  that  the  obli¬ 
gations  of  Christians  to  evangelize  the  world,  as  well  as  their  own 
immediate  neighborhoods,  were  thus  pressed  upon  their  attention, 
and  an  opportunity  afforded  them  for  its  display,  which  by  the 
present  missionary  organizations  is  altogether  impracticable.  Sup¬ 
posing  that  modern  missionary  organizations  were  proper,  it  is  ut¬ 
terly  disgraceful  to  professed  Christianity,  and  ought  not  to  be 
tolerated,  that  such  organizations  tell  us  that  they  cannot  attend  to 
the  urgent  appeals  made  by  the  circumstances  of  the  heathen, 
where  doors  of  usefulness  are  opened,  for  lack  of  pecuniary  means, 
while  abundance  of  money,  and  to  spare  it  is  admitted,  is  in  the 
possession  of  professors  of  religion,  who  are  members  of  Christian 
churches,  more  than  sufficient  for  the  purpose.  Surely  in  such  a 
case  as  this,  the  guilt  and  misery  of  the  heathen  must  lie  at  the 
door  of  such,  and  their  blood  be  required  at  their  hands  who  thus 
refuse  to  them  the  means  of  safety.  Here  then  is  a  fearful  respon¬ 
sibility,  but  who  can  enforce  the  penalty  of  its  neglect  ?  The 
man  who  thus  treats  the  claims  of  the  heathen,  and  the  commission 
of  his  Saviour,  should  be  written  Christless;  but  who  is  to  do  it  ? 
A  Missionary  Board  cannot.  But  a  church  of  Christ  could  and 
ought  to  do  it,  and  would  do  it,  were  the  duty  of  evangelizing  the 
heathen  or  the  world  around  it  considered  to  be  as  much  its 
duly  as  the  maintenance  of  the  gospel  at  home.  To  the  present 


22 


system  then,  may  be  fairly  attributable  a  large  amount  of  the  cov¬ 
etousness  of  religious  profession,  for  responsibility  in  pecuniary 
contribution  is  a  mere  shadow  under  the  present  eleemosynary 
system  of  contribution  for  missionary  enterprize.  It  may  appeal, 
as  it  continually  does,  to  the  conscience,  but  there  can  be  no  action 
to  back  this  appeal.  The  independence  of  the  churches  forbids 
such  an  exercise  of  authority  on  the  part  of  missionary  corporations, 
and  hence  responsibility  as  to  the  pecuniary  support  of  missions 
is  almost  unknown,  requiring  its  inculcation  in  a  connection  other 
than  such  organizations  afford,  where  it  could  be  enforced  and 
displayed. 

After  having  pointed  out  what  I  consider  as  limiting  and  imped¬ 
ing  missionary  enterprize,  and  narrowing  the  field  of  success,  I 
now  proceed  to  point  out  a  remedy,  such  as  would  ensure  a  far 
more  extensive  system  of  effort,  bring  into  action  the  superintend¬ 
ence  of  a  more  effective  agency,  and  the  production  of  such  pecu¬ 
niary  support  as  would  leave  the  energies  of  this  agency  free  and 
unfettered  in  pursuing  the  great  object  of  evangelization.  All 
this  I  believe,  and  more,  might  be  effected  by  the  adoption  of  the 
following  plan,  which  I  submit  with  all  due  deference  to  the 
prayerful  consideration  of  the  friends  of  missions  generally,  and  to 
the  Baptist  denomination  in  particular,  whether  in  the  United 
States,  or  in  Great  Britain,  inasmuch  as  they  were  the  first  to 
adopt  the  present  defective  system,  employed  to  work  out  the 
Great  Commission,  they  may  be  the  first  to  abandon  it  for  one 
more  in  accordance  with  primitive  example,  the  humble  and  the 
devoted  spirit  and  temper  of  Christianity,  and  the  true  and  proper 
independence  of  the  churches  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  plan  which  I  propose  for  the  adoption  of  the  churches  is 
the  following. 

1.  That  churches  consider  themselves  in  the  scriptural  light 
of  independent  missionary  bodies,  and  bound  to  discharge  all  the 
functions  peculiar  to  this  character,  in  accordance  with  the  com¬ 
mission  to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  nations,  as  recorded  by  the 
evangelist  Matthew,  xxviii.  19 — 20. 

2.  That  in  accordance  with  this  view  of  the  missionary  char¬ 
acter  of  the  churches,  it  be  considered  imperative  upon  them  to 
provide  missionaries  either  from  among  their  own  membership, 


23 


or  from  the  membership  of  sister  churches,  men  educated  for  the 
purpose,  and  otherwise  qualified  for  the  missionary  character. 
That  these  be  sent  forth  under  the  sole  direction  of  the  church  of 
which  they  already  are  or  may  become  members,  to  that  field  of  la¬ 
bor  to  which  they  may  be  appointed  by  the  advice  of  their  brethren. 

3.  That  where  one  church  cannot  support  two  such  missiona¬ 
ries,  then  let  it  support  one,  and  uniting  with  another  church  simi¬ 
larly  circumstanced,  let  them  thus  united  send  these  two  mission¬ 
aries  to  labor  in  one  locality,  (that  the  example  of  Christ  may  be 
closely  followed  in  this  important  particular,)  under  their  joint 
superintendence  and  direction,  each  missionary  corresponding  di¬ 
rectly  with  the  church  to  which  he  belonged,  in  reporting  his  labor 
as  the  missionary  of  that  church. 

4.  That  the  necessary  funds  for  the  support  of  the  mission¬ 
aries  of  the  churches,  be  obtained  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
salaries  of  the  pastors  of  the  particular  churches,  that  is,  on 
one  common  principle  of  pecuniary  contribution  as  enjoined  by 
the  apostle,  in  his  1st  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  xvi.  2,  u  Upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him 
in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him,  ”  viewing  this  injunc¬ 
tion  as  not  only  exhibiting  a  system  as  to  the  mode  and  time 
of  giving,  but  also  a  system  shewing  the  amount  of  individual  con¬ 
tributions  expected  under  its  operation. 

1.  The  mode  of  contribution  here  enjoined,  appears  in  a  cer¬ 
tain  sum  of  money  being  laid  aside  for  the  specific  purpose  of 
being  paid  on  a  stated  occasion. 

2.  It  was  to  be  contributed  on  the  Lord’s  day,  when  they 
came  together  for  public  worship. 

3.  The  amount  of  contribution  was  systematic ,  in  accordance 
with  an  understood  rule,  and  not  a  capricious  or  a  vague  and  un¬ 
defined  sum  of  money  which  was  contributed. 

That  the  tithe  or  tenth  of  income  was  the  rule  or  standard  of 
contribution,  is  extremely  probable. 

1.  Because  from  the  earliest  period,  it  was  the  standard  of 
contribution  for  the  worship  of  God,  and  not  peculiar  to  the  Jew¬ 
ish  dispensation.  It  was  paid  by  Abraham  to  Melchizedek,  the 
king  of  Salem,  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God,  and  undoubtedly 
as  a  tribute  for  the  support  of  public  worship.  When  Jacob  was 


24 


brought  to  a  sense  of  the  enjoyment  of  the  Divine  favor  by  the 
vision  at  Bethel,  he  vowed  that  when  he  returned  from  the  distant 
country  to  which  he  was  then  travelling,  he  should  designate  the 
tenth  of  his  income  to  the  service  of  Jehovah. 

In  these  two  illustrious  cases,  we  see  what  was  then  considered 
to  be  the  standard  of  pecuniary  contribution  for  the  service  of 
God;  and  when  we  reflect  that  during  the  patriarchal  dispensation 
no  expensive  or  typical  establishment  of  religion  existed,  these  ex¬ 
amples  are  to  be  viewed  as  exhibiting  public  opinion  or  the  pre¬ 
vailing  sentiment  on  the  subject  of  the  support  of  religion,  while 
to  succeeding  generations,  they  ought  to  be  understood  as  an  ex¬ 
ample  of  moral  obligation  to  the  same  import,  exhibiting  a  standard 
by  which  all  could  contribute  equally  in  the  sight  of  God,  although 
not  to  the  same  pecuniary  amount,  owing  to  the  diversity  of  men’s 
incomes. 

In  the  time  of  our  Lord,  this  equable  mode  of  contribution  was 
neglected  to  some  extent;  consequently  we  see  one  poor  widow 
contributing  in  a  most  disproportionate  degree  to  the  service  of 
God,  while  the  rich,  though  casting  into  the  treasury  larger  gifts 
out  of  their  abundance,  yet  did  not  do  so,  after  all,  to  the  extent 
and  in  accordance  with  conscientious  duty.  To  bring  the  churches 
of  Christ  to  a  better  state  of  consecrated  conscientious  action  in 
pecuniary  contribution,  seems  to  me  to  be  the  intention  of  the 
apostolic  rule  already  referred  to. 

2.  The  application  of  the  apostolic  rule  required  some  under¬ 
stood  standard,  such  as  the  tithe  to  fix  the  amount  of  contribution, 
inasmuch  as  men’s  minds  would  have  been  otherwise  variously  in¬ 
clined  according  to  their  natural  dispositions  with  regard  to  its 
amount,  and  doubtless  that  of  the  tithe  being  the  well  known  amount 
of  contribution  was  the  standard  by  which  their  contributions  were 
guided  in  accordance  with  the  state  of  their  worldly  circumstances. 

Unless  this  view  of  the  subject  be  admitted,  we  can  see  no  way 
by  which  any  thing  like  equality  in  giving  according  to  their  cir¬ 
cumstances  could  have  been  displayed.  Under  any  other  system 
one  man  would  have  supposed,  for  example,  one  dollar  to  be  amply 
sufficient  as  corresponding  with  his  prosperity,  while  another  man 
with  far  less  means,  but  possessing  a  far  more  devoted  and  gene¬ 
rous  soul,  would  have  deemed  three  dollars  his  proportion.  With 


an  understood  standard,  and  its  conscientious  application,  this  ine¬ 
quality  was  rendered  impossible. 

An  assessment  upon  property  to  meet  the  support  of  the  gospel 
and  its  propagation  either  at  home  or  abroad,  would  not  be  in  ac¬ 
cordance  with  the  scriptural  principle  of  contribution  now  stated. 
In  fact  it  would  be  at  variance  with  it.  That  the  principle  em¬ 
braces  income ,  from  whatever  source  it  is  derived,  and  not  pro¬ 
perty,  is  obvious  from  the  very  circumstance  of  the  contributions 
being  required  on  the  first  day  of  every  week  ;  while  the  very 
hebdomadal  character  of  the  contributions  indicates  uncertainty  in 
the  source  from  whence  the  collection  was  to  be  drawn,  a  char¬ 
acter  which  could  not  apply  to  hoarded  treasures. 

But  an  assessment  upon  property,  it  would  be  easy  to  show, 
would  be  oppressive  and  unjust,  whereas  if  laid  upon  income,  it 
would  be  equitable  and  easy.  For  instance,  a  person  may  derive 
his  means  of  support  from  money  we  shall  suppose  loaned  on  in¬ 
terest,  or  vested  in  a  farm,  and  rented  by  another.  The  capital 
sum  may  be  $4000,  producing  an  income  of  $240  per  annum. 
Another  individual  has  only  $1000  of  capital,  but  this  he  has  vested 
in  trade  or  in  business,  and  he  derives  from  it  an  income  of  $600. 
Now  if  the  support  of  religion  was  to  be  derived  from  an  assess¬ 
ment  upon  property,  would  there  not  be  an  act  of  manifest  injus¬ 
tice  in  assessing  the  one  at  $4000,  and  the  other  only  at  $1000, 
when  the  difference  of  income  or  prosperity  are  so  disproportion¬ 
ate,  making  the  man  with  more  property  but  less  income,  pay  four 
times  more  than  the  other.  Surely  this  would  not  be  in  accord¬ 
ance  with  the  divine  injunction,  “as  the  Lord  had  prospered 
them.  ” 

The  principle  of  the  tithe  applied  to  income,  I  recommend  then 
as  essential  to  the  working  out  of  the  plan  I  propose.  Upon  no 
other  principle,  so  far  as  pecuniary  means  are  concerned,  can  the 
evangelizing  of  the  world  be  accomplished.  It  accords  with  the 
injunction  of  Jesus  Christ,  “seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you,” 
demanding  our  first  attention  to  the  cause  of  religion,  in  its  propa¬ 
gation,  leaving  to  His  providence  every  other  consideration, 
whether  personal  or  relative.  This  injunction,  and  the  promise  ap¬ 
pended  tb  it,  in  no  wise  differed  from  that  which  as  a  general  thing 
4 


26 


\ 


was  pressed  upon  the  attention  of  the  fearers  of  God  under  the 
old  dispensation.  u  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with 
the  first  fruits  of  all  thine  increase,  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled  with 
plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall  burst  with  new  wine.  ” 

,  But  although  a  tenth  or  tithe  of  income  be  obviously  the  most 
moderate  amount  of  voluntary  obligation,  in  contributing  to  the 
cause  of  God,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  a  less  amount  will  suffice  for 
evangelizing  purposes,  and  the  support  of  the  ministry  at  home, 
let  a  smaller  amount  of  contribution  be  fixed  for  the  time  and  ad¬ 
hered  to.  I  care  not  what  this  amount  may  be  ;  let  it  be  even  a 
twentieth  part  of  income  instead  of  a  tenth,  only  let  it  be  uniform 
in  its  application  to  the  members  of  individual  churches,  that  so 
there  may  be  conscientious  equality  in  contributing  to  the  cause 
of  God,  on  the  part  of  every  one,  as  the  Lord  hath  prospered  him. 
All  I  plead  for  is  the  adoption  of  the  general  scriptural  rule, 
which  will  apply  to  all  the  members  of  a  church,  thus  obviating 
one  of  the  most  repulsive  features  of  the  present  system,  that  of 
permitting  the  covetous,  or  those  who  expend  nearly  the  whole  of 
their  earnings  or  income  upon  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lusts  of 
the  eyes,  or  the  pride  of  life,  from  contributing  according  to  their 
earnings  or  income,  leaving  the  support  of  the  gospel,  in  a  great 
degree,  to  be  borne  by  the  truly  conscientious  and  devoted  amongst 
their  brethren. 

To  apply  the  general  rule  now  recommended,  all  that  is  neces¬ 
sary  is,  that  every  church  should  adopt  a  scale  of  contribution 
which  should  meet  the  general  circumstances  of  its  members,  and 
to  cover  by  its  adoption  every  thing  demanded  from  them  as  a 
body,  in  the  shape  of  pecuniary  effort.  This  scale  to  be  applica¬ 
ble  only  to  weekly  payments,  in  accordance  with  apostolic  rule, 
and  to  comprehend  payments  of  5,  10,  20,25,  50,  75,  100,  125, 
150,  and  200  cents  per  week,  and  which  scale  would  certainly 
embrace  the  circumstances  and  condition  nearly  of  all  its  members, 
u  as  God  had  prospered  them.”  The  members  of  the  church 
conscientiously  ranging  themselves  according  to  this  scale  of  con¬ 
tribution,  and  making  the  corresponding  payment  every  Lord’s 
day  to  the  collecting  deacon  of  the  church,  or  to  persons  appointed 
for  the  purpose.  But  it  must  be  considered  indispensable  never 
to  postpone  its  payment  except  in  the  case  of  unavoidable  absence, 


27 


the  excellence  of  the  scriptural  principle,  arising  from  the  regular¬ 
ity  of  the  contribution,  and  the  consequent  avoidance  of  the  pres¬ 
sure  of  a  comparatively  large  sum  at  one  time,  a  matter  of  no 
little  importance  to  persons  with  limited  incomes,  and  of  which 
description  the  churches  of  Christ  must  be  always  composed. 

Christianity,  be  it  observed,  is  a  religion  intended  to  meet  the 
circumstances  of  such.  “  To  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached,  ” 
and  while  it  does  not  exclude  the  rich,  it  says,  “how  hardly  shall 
they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  ”  The  sa¬ 
cred  rites  and  simple  institutions  of  Jesus  Christ  are  all  nicely  ad¬ 
justed  with  a  due  regard  to  the  circumstances  of  comparative  pov¬ 
erty,  in  which  his  disciples  as  bodies  were  to  be  found;  and  to  this 
very  circumstance  is  to  be  attributed  the  institution  of  weekly  pe¬ 
cuniary  contribution,  as  best  adapted  to  their  circumstances.  The 
present  mode  of  contribution  towards  the  support  and  propagation 
of  religion  is  more  adapted  to  meet  the  circumstances  of  persons 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  as  to  temporal  things,  than  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  those  whose  incomes  are  narrow,  and  perhaps  uncer¬ 
tain.  But  by  the  scriptural  plan  as  enjoined  by  the  apostle,  both 
classes  can  meet  in  perfect  harmony  and  equality  upon  one  com¬ 
mon  principle  in  contributing  to  the  support  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  the  spread  of  His  gospel,  the  poor  rejoicing  in  that  he 
is  exalted,  and  the  rich  in  that  he  is  made  low. 

It  ought,  then,  to  be  no  small  recommendation  of  the  scriptural 
principle  of  pecuniary  contribution,  now  proposed  for  the  adoption 
of  churches  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen, 
and  for  its  support  at  home,  that  it  enables  all  to  be  contributors 
by  the  payment  of  small  sums  weekly,  easing  none  who  should 
not  be  eased,  nor  burdening  those  who  should  not  be  burdened. 

Another  recommendation  of  the  plan  proposed  is,  that  the  pay¬ 
ments  being  made  in  detail,  they  are  comparatively  unfelt,  and  the 
wisdom  of  God  is  seen  in  the  appointment,  when  it  is  considered  in 
this  light.  The  fact  is,  by  disbursements  in  themselves  small,  the 
great  expenditures  of  mankind  are  commonly  made,  and  large 
results  realized  from  this  mode  of  operation.  The  immense  sums, 
for  instance,  expended  by  the  use  of  that  filthy  and  detestable 
weed,  tobacco,  never  would  be  expended  were  its  purchases 
made  by  its  consumers  every  quarter,  but  being  purchased  from 


28 


hand  to  mouth,  the  gratification  of  this  vile  lust  commands  an  ex- 
penditure  which  it  never  could  command  upon  any  other  principle.* 

Enough  has  been  said,  I  would  lain  hope,  in  commendation  of 
the  principle,  by  the  operation  of  which,  adequate  funds  would  be 
obtained  for  every  purpose  in  accordance  with  the  working  out  of 
the  great  commission,  both  at  home  and  abroad. 

To  show  the  practical  working  of  the  principle  proposed  to 
guide  the  contributions  of  the  churches,  I  will  suppose  a  church 
of  1G0  members  to  adopt  it,  and  under  its  operation  to  raise  the 
funds  requisite  for  every  purpose  required  by  the  church.  I  sup¬ 
pose  it  will  hardly  be  necessary  for  me  to  explain  that  the  proposed 
mode  of  contribution  does  not  simply  apply  to  weekly  incomes, 
but  only  to  weekly  contributions ,  in  accordance  with  the  current 
general  circumstances  of  individuals.  These  may  be  furnished 
by  weekly,  monthly,  or  annual  incomes,  or  averaged  estimates' 
of  income  from  trades,  just  as  the  providence  of  God  may  have 
disposed  the  circumstances  of  individuals.  The  members  I  shall 
suppose  would  contribute  according  to  the  following  scale,  at 
the  rate  of  one  twentieth  part  of  their  income. 


10 

members  without  income 

or  wages, 

• 

* 

$000 

25 

u  earning 

$1  per  week,  l-20th, 

or  5  cts 

per 

week,  65 

50 

CC  CC 

2  “ 

CC  CC 

CC  10  CC 

CC 

“  260 

20 

CC  u 

4  “ 

CC  CC 

“  20  “ 

CC  ‘ 

“  208 

50 

CC  CC 

5  “ 

CC  CC 

“25  “ 

CC 

“  650 

5 

CC  CC 

10  “ 

CC  CC 

“  50  “ 

CC 

“  130 

160  members,  52 

weeks,  l-20th  of  income, 

- 

$  1,313 

*  It  will  scarcely  be  credited,  but  yet  it  is  no  less  true,  that  in  one  year  duty  has  been 
paid  to  the  government  of  Great  Britain  upon  18,504,510  lbs.  of  unmanufactured  tobacco, 
entered  for  home  consumption,  amounting  to  the  enormous  sum  of  £2,775.676  10a-.  ster¬ 
ling,  and  which,  before  it  reached  the  consumer,  had  to  be  charged  with  the  importer's 
price  and  profit  as  well  as  that  of  the  manufacturer’s  and  retailer's,  making  together  a 
cost  of  little  short  of  twenty  millions  of  dollars,  paid  by  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  for  this  article  of  luxury ,  and  in  the  manner  above  referred  to. 

The  consumption  of  tobacco  in  the  United  States,  I  suppose,  exceeds  that  of  Great 
Britain,  although  the  population  is  but  one  half  that  of  the  latter,  but  let  us  take  it  at  the 
same  amount  and  as  costing  the  American  consumer  only  one  third  what  it  costs  the 
British  consumer,  and  we  have  the  enormous  amount  of  nearly  seven  mil/imis  of  dollars 
expended  upon  this  vile  narcotic  weed  by  all  classes  of  the  community,  including  pro¬ 
fessors  of  religion  and  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  can  have  no  better  plea  for  its  use 
than  could  be  made  and  sustained  for  opium  and  brandy.  Talk  of  temperance  and  right¬ 
eousness,  while  expending  seven  millions  of  dollars  on  tobacco  and  not  half  a  million  on 
the  missionary  enterprize ! !  1 


29 

To  accomplish  the  above  collection  in  as  short  a  period  as  pos¬ 
sible,  let  fifteen  collectors  be  appointed,  each  having  charge  of  the 
collection  to  be  taken  from  ten  contributors.  Let  them  be  fur¬ 
nished  with  books  containing  52  tables,  having  on  the  left  pages 
blank  lines  for  the  names  of  the  ten  members,  and  on  the  right 
hand  page  columns  headed  with  the  various  items  of  contribution, 
5,  10,  20,  25,  50,  75,  100,  125,  150,  200  cents.  When  a  pay¬ 
ment  is  made  let  it  be  immediately  filled  into  the  proper  column 
corresponding  with  the  name,  and  when  all  was  collected,  which 
would  be  the  work  of  but  a  few  moments,  ( the  parties  handing 
their  contributions  in  small  packets  of  paper,  on  which  their  names 
should  be  written,)  let  the  whole  sum  be  paid  to  the  collecting 
deacon  or  treasurer,  whose  signature  to  the  same  would  be  a 
voucher  for  the  collector’s  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty  and  a 
check  upon  the  deacon  or  treasurer. 

In  the  supposed  case  of  the  church  of  160  members,  I  have 
not  included  any  payments  above  fifty  cents  per  week,  and  have 
supposed  the  rate  of  assessment  at  only  one-twentieth  part  of  in¬ 
come;  but  if  the  scriptural  principle  of  a  tenth  had  been  supposed, 
the  amount  would  have  been  exactly  double,  $2,626.  And  who 
can  say  that  upon  this  principle  this  sum  could  not  be  easily  raised 
from  the  poorest  of  our  orthodox  churches.  Why,  the  payment 
of  ten  cents  from  an  individual  only  earning  $1  per  week,  a  female 
help,  I  shall  suppose,  and  leaving  ninety  cents  for  her  own  purposes, 
putting  it  into  a  bag  without  holes,  and  enjoying  the  blessing  of  God, 
who  would  say  that  the  ninety  cents  would  not  procure  to  her  all 
needful  necessaries,  and  that  no  real  comfort  would  be  abridged  by 
being  confined  to  its  expenditure.  The  same  remark  would  hold 
equally  good,  nay,  much  more  so,  when  applied  to  larger  incomes. 

The  application  of  the  principle  I  have  now  recommended,  is 
destined,  if  adopted,  to  produce  the  most  wonderful  results  in  favor 
of  religion.  Then  would  the  stated  ministry  at  home  be  ade¬ 
quately  supported,  the  destitute  portions  of  our  own  country  sup¬ 
plied,  the  foreign  field  overspread  and  occupied,  the  Bible  largely 
distributed,  education  promoted,  and  many  running  to  and  fro,  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  would  be  increased  with  a  rapidity  and  to 
an  extent  such  as  prophecy  in  its  glowing  descriptions  warrants 
us  to  anticipate,  but  which  from  the  present  eleemosynary  princi¬ 
ple  in  general  use,  never  can  be  realized. 


30 


That  this  is  no  exaggerated  picture,  let  it  be  considered  that  at 
the  very  moderate  rate  of  supposed  contribution  for  religious  pur¬ 
poses,  of  one-twentieth  of  income  in  the  church  of  160  members, 
the  Boston  Baptist  Association,  which  is  composed  of  38  churches 
containing  8734  members,  would  yield  a  sum  not  less  than  $71,673 
for  the  worship  of  God,  and  the  propagation  of  the  gospel.  But 
who  does  not  know,  who  knows  anything  at  all  of  the  wealth  in 
these  churches,  that  this  sum  would  be  more  than  quadrupled  were 
the  equitable  mode  of  contribution  adopted,  such  as  I  have  pro¬ 
posed,  although  but  to  the  extent  of  one-twentieth  of  income,  and  a 
sum  far  greater  than  is  contributed  by  all  the  Baptist  churches  in 
the  United  States,  to  the  Baptist  Board  for  Foreign  Missions  for 
the  missionary  enterprize,  be  obtained  from  this  Association  alone. 
Even  at  the  rate  assumed  in  the  supposed  case,  where  the  highest 
rate  of  contribution  is  only  $26  per  annum  from  an  income  of 
$520,  after  defraying  the  salaries  of  the  pastors  of  the  various 
churches,  there  would  remain  for  evangelizing  purposes  nearly 
$40,000.  If,  however,  a  voluntary  assessment  of  a  tenth  were 
adopted  even  upon  the  very  low  scale  of  individual  income,  sup¬ 
posed  not  exceeding  $520  per  annum,  there  would  remain  after 
defraying  the  salaries  of  the  pastors  of  the  thirty-eight  churches  of 
the  Association,  more  than  $100,000  for  evangelizing  purposes. 
Such  would  be  the  power  of  the  application  of  the  scripture  prin¬ 
ciple  now  recommended  for  adoption,  even  supposing  the  income 
of  the  members  were  to  be  estimated  at  this  very  low  rate,  and 
which  has  been  purposely  done  to  meet  the  fact  of  the  great  num¬ 
ber  of  female  members  of  our  churches  with  very  limited  incomes. 
In  the  supposed  case,  however,  more  than  half  of  the  church  is 
supposed  not  to  earn  more  than  $2  per  week,  i.  e.  10  nothing, 
25  members  $1,  and  50  members  $2  per  week,  thus  embracing 
85  out  of  the  160  members. 

In  the  case  of  the  Boston  Baptist  Association,  I  have  not  al¬ 
luded  to  the  building  of  places  of  worship  and  the  consequent 
charges  of  interest  on  money  borrowed  for  their  erection.  By 
the  proposed  scriptural  plan  of  contribution,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
this  would  in  all  cases  be  adequately  met,  taking  rent  of  pews  only 
from  persons  who  are  not  members  of  the  churches,  and  who 
would  not,  it  is  probable,  occupy  places  statedly  unless  they  were 


31 


permitted  to  pay  for  them.  But  supposing  it  was  deemed  proper 
to  take  rent  for  pew  accommodation  from  members  as  well  as 
others,  I  could  see  no  objection  against  it,  inasmuch  as  it  would 
be  only  paying  for  a  temporal  accommodation,  and  which  for  the 
time  was  held  as  their  property.  In  all  cases,  however,  the  rent 
exacted  should  be  so  low  as  to  cover  at  the  utmost  the  interest 
only  of  the  money  expended  upon  the  erection  of  the  place  of  wor¬ 
ship,  and  thus  no  hindrance  but  rather  an  encouragement  would  be 
afforded  to  attendance  upon  public  worship. 

Let  us  suppose  a  case.  A  place  of  worship  has  been  erected 
at  an  expense  of  $40,000,  affording  pew  accommodation  for  900 
sittings.  The  interest  of  this  sum,  supposing  it  were  all  borrowed 
at  6  per  cent,  would  be  $2,400.  Of  the  900  sittings  I  shall  sup¬ 
pose  600  were  occupied.  Let  these  be  rented  at  the  rate  of  $4 
each,  or  one  dollar  per  quarter,  and  we  have  at  once  the  required 
sum, — a  rate  so  moderate  that  it  could  not  interfere  with  the 
amount  of  stated  and  regular  attendance  upon  public  worship,  but 
would  rather  encourage  and  promote  it.  There  would  besides  be 
equity  in  this  mode  of  proceeding,  because  a  man  would  not  be 
taxed  for  the  support  of  religion  when  it  had  no  hold  of  his  affec¬ 
tions,  but  only  for  that  which  he  actually  enjoyed,  his  pew  accom¬ 
modation.  It  is  a  great  absurdity,  if  it  be  not  positively  sinful,  to 
tax  an  ungodly  man  for  the  worship  of  God  who  has  no  heart  to 
it,  while  it  is  evident  that  by  the  present  system,  there  is  a  ten¬ 
dency  to  drive  such  men  away  from  our  public  assemblies  whose  at¬ 
tendance  ought  rather  to  be  encouraged,  by  our  demanding  nothing 
more  from  them  than  a  reasonable  compensation  for  their  comfort¬ 
able  accommodation  in  the  pews  they  occupy.* 

*  The  debt  of  the  nine  Baptist  churches  in  the  city  of  Boston,  amounts  to  $62, 7G9. 
Of  this  sum,  no  less  than  two-thirds  of  the  annual  charge  of  interest  is  provided  for  by 
the  rents  received  from  stores,  school-rooms,  &c.,  under  the  places  of  worship,  and  rent¬ 
ed  by  occupants.  The  number  of  communicants  in  the  nine  churches,  is  4023.  Now  ap¬ 
ply  the  supposed  case  of  ono  twentieth  of  income  as  the  scale  of  contribution  by  these 
members  of  the  nine  churches,  and  low  as  is  the  supposed  amount  of  income  they  enjoy, 
we  shall  have  a  product  of  no  less  than  $33,012 

From  this  deduct  the  salaries  of  the  pastors  of  the  churches,  $13,600 

Interest  of  money  borrowed  on  the  erection  of  the  places  of  wor¬ 
ship,  $22,269,  and  to  be  provided  for,  1 ,336 


Leaving  $18,076 

for  evangelizing  purposes,  and  which  would  enable  these  nine  churches  to  sustain  no  less 
than  thirty  missionaries,  while  if  a  tenth  of  income  was  applied  as  the  scale  of  contribu- 


I 


32 


5.  That  if  the  plan  now  submitted  should  meet  with  the  gen¬ 
eral  concurrence  of  the  various  evangelical  denominations,  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  employed  at  present  by  the  various  boards  of  foreign 
missions  be  requested  to  become  the  missionaries  of  the  particular 
churches,  adopting  the  plan,  and  upon  their  becoming  so,  their 
connection  to  'Cease  and  determine  with  the  boards.  In  this  way, 
in  no  short  time  would  such  organizations  be  speedily  released 
from  all  responsibility,  and  their  labors  cease  being  merged  in 
the  action  of  the  churches  at  large. 

6.  As  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  adoption  of  the  plan 
now  proposed,  more  prominence  would  be  given  to  the  diffusion 
of  the  gospel,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  by  the  individual  action 
of  the  churches  ;  it  would  therefore  be  necessary  to  form  associ¬ 
ations  of  ten  to  fifteen  churches  in  each,  who  by  taking  cognizance 
of  missionary  enterprize,  and  exhibiting  its  interesting  details  as 
communicated  by  the  missionaries  of  the  respective  churches  of 
these  associations  would  thereby  excite  a  more  general  interest  in 
the  propagation  of  the  gospel,  titan  exists  at  present,  besides  con¬ 
tributing  to  the  permanence  of  this  interest.  Such  associations  of 
churches  to  meet  quarterly,  and  a  digest  of  the  missionary  infor¬ 
mation  communicated,  to  be  afterwards  published  either  in  some 
of  the  religious  periodicals  of  the  day,  or  published  by  the  associ¬ 
ations  themselves,  for  general  circulation  amongst  the  members  of 
the  churches.  These  associations  could  combine,  with  what  is 
now  proposed,  all  that  is  done  at  present  by  the  association  of 
churches,  particularly  in  the  Baptist  denomination,  (which  is  chiefly 
statistical,)  and  further,  they  would  undoubtedly  prove,  wherever 

lion,  this  number  could  be  doubled,  besides  permitting  the  expenditure  of  more  than 
$15,000  upon  other  benevolent  objects,  such  as  the  support  of  the  Bible  cause,  and  our 
theological  educational  institutions. 

And  who  daresay  that  all  this  could  not  be  done  by  these  churches,  and  easily  done, 
and  ought  not  to  be  attempted.  I  have  confidence  in  their  love  and  attachment  to  the 
Saviour  and  to  His  cause.  From  what  I  know  of  these  churches,  I  have  estimated  their 
pecuniary  ability  far  too  low,  and  I  must,  therefore,  say  to  them,  u forgive  me  this 
wrong."  But  low  as  is  the  supposed  case  of  their  ability  to  contribute,  what  a  noble  ex¬ 
ample  would  be  presented  to  the  world  were  this  view  of  ability  acted  vpon,  and  thirty 
missionaries  sent  forth  from  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  city  of  Boston,  to  labor  in  that 
interesting  field  now  opened  up  in  the  immense  empire  of  China  for  the  propagation  of 
the  gospel,  besides  employing  thirty  more  in  what  is  denominated  the  Home  field — the 
destitute  portions  of  our  own  country.  Some  may  say,  where  are  the  men  ?  I  reply, 
they  are  in  the  churches.  They  can  provide  both  the  men  and  the  means  if  duty  be  ap¬ 
prehended  as  it  is  now  pressed  upon  their  attention; 


» 


33 


they  were  held,  truly  beneficial  to  the  interests  of  religion,  com¬ 
bined  as  they  would  be  with  the  religious  exercises  adopted  and 
proper  for  such  occasions. 

This  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  plan  which  I  propose  to  work  out 
the  Great  Commission  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  and 
to  the  destitute  portions  of  our  own  country,  namely,  by  individ¬ 
ual  churches  becoming  what  Jesus  Christ  has  intended  they  should 
be,  truly  missionary  in  their  character,  and  as  a  necessary  result 
of  this  character,  engaging  directly  and  personally  in  the  work  by 
the  support  of  missionaries  either  in  the  home  or  in  the  foreign 
field,  such  persons  laboring  under  their  sole  direction,  without  the 
aid  of  a  missionary  Board,  and  all  this  based  upon  a  holy  consecra¬ 
tion  of  property  to  the  service  of  God  on  the  part  of  the  members 
of  these  churches,  according  to  their  circumstances. 

The  following  advantages  would  be  more  than  realized  by  its 
adoption. 

1.  Jt  would  present  missionary  enterprize  in  a  more  scriptural 
light  to  the  world,  and  it  would  be  more  authoritative,  because 
more  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  Christ,  than  the  present  mis¬ 
sionary  organizations  of  legally  incorporated  bodies,  to  whom  the 
Great  Commission  cannot  by  any  possibility  apply.  Its  execution 
is  enjoined  upon  churches,  and  its  most  encouraging  promise,  uLo 
I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,  ”  is  ad¬ 
dressed  to  churches  engaged  in  working  it  out;  while  at  present, 
by  the  existing  missionary  organizations  of  Boards,  &c.,  the  pas¬ 
tors,  deacons  and  members  of  churches  are  turned  into  mere  col¬ 
lectors  of  cents  and  dollars,  without  ever  once  coming  into  direct 
and  personal  contact  with  missionary  direction,  unless  they  are 
aristocratic  enough  to  represent  a  sum  of  money,  which  in  the 
case  of  the  'Baptist  General  Convention  for  Foreign  Missions 
must  be  not  less  than  $300  contributed  in  sums  of  $100  annually 
for  three  years,  or  some  similar  or  honorary  qualifications,  present¬ 
ing  a  system  of  exclusiveness  and  usurpation,  although  avowedly 
made  in  the  service  of  God,  yet  utterly  repugnant  to  the  institu¬ 
tions  of  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  Another  advantage  resulting  from  the  proposed  plan  would 
be,  that  if  adopted,  the  heavy  expense  attending  the  direction  of 
missionary  enterprize  by  the  present  system  would  be  saved,  and 

5 


34 


every  cent  contributed  for  the  purpose  of  evangelizing  the  heathen 
would  in  that  case  be  appropriated  to  its  legitimate  purpose.  I 
do  not  mean,  however,  to  be  understood  as  insinuating  that  the 
charges  attending  the  present  management  of  missionary  corpora¬ 
tions  are  extravagant;  far  from  it.  Such  an  expenditure,  heavy  as 
it  is,  is  unavoidable  by  the  present  system,  but  it  is  a  humbling 
consideration,  that  from  the  receipts  of  the  Baptist  Board  for  For¬ 
eign  Missions  for  instance,  for  the  year  ending  16th  April,  1841, 
amounting  to  $50,924,44,  no  less  a  sum  than  $9886,59  was  neces¬ 
sarily  expended  in  the  expense  of  management  and  collection,  being 
a  charge  of  more  than  nineteen  per  cent,  or  about  one  fifth  part  of 
the  whole,  while  the  expense  of  the  last  year’s  management  and 
collection,  ending  1st  April  1842,  amounted  to  $9015,14,  and  the 
receipts  up  to  the  same  period  not  including  legacies  and  dividends 
on  bank  stock  and  loans  wTas  only  $46,053,83,  shewing  the  perma¬ 
nence  of  the  amount  of  the  charge  for  management  and  collection 
to  be  nearly  one  fifth  of  the  entire  revenue  derived  from  the  con¬ 
tributions  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  United  States. 

Now  this  whole  sum  is  totally  lost,  as  far  as  it  regards  the  great 
object  for  which  it  was  collected,  for  of  every  $100  collected  by 
a  church,  $19  of  it  or  more  is  expended  by  the  management  of  the 
Board  in  Boston  or  its  agents;  and  it  is  surely  high  time  that  the 
churches,  by  doing  their  own  missionary  work,  should  not  only  in¬ 
crease  their  means  of  promoting  the  work  of  God,  but  prevent 
this  unnecessary  expenditure  of  money  by  the  adoption  of  the  plan 
I  have  proposed,  or  some  other,  combining  the  same  scriptural  and 
rational  principles  which  it  embraces. 

But  a  very  large  sum  of  money  is  expended  by  ministers  and 
others  in  travelling  to  distant  parts  of  the  United  States  as  dele¬ 
gates  to  conventions  and  annual  meetings  of  a  similar  character, 
which  should  be  saved,  and  which,  although  the  present  system 
deems  essential  for  its  support,  is  rendered  burdensome  to  indi¬ 
viduals;  while  such  meetings  afford  no  scope  for  business  of  any 
importance  as  pertaining  to  the  great  and  professed  object  for 
which  they  are  convened,  being  limited  more  to  that  which  is 
purely  honorary  or  necessary  to  sanction  the  official  action  of  their 
officers. 

The  great  expenditure  attending  such  convocations  may  be  best 


35 


understood,  when  I  state  that  at  the  tenth  Triennial  Meeting  of 
the  Baptist  General  Convention  held  in  Baltimore  in  1841,  no  less 
than  26 1  members  were  present,  whose  travelling  expenses,  avera¬ 
ging  them  at  $20,  (which  is  certainly  a  very  low  average,)  must 
have  exceeded  the  sum  of  $5220 !  !  I  ask,  is  such  an  expendi¬ 
ture  justifiable,  and  should  it  be  permitted  when  it  is  ostensibly 
made  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  missions,  and  yet  has  no  possible 
influence  of  a  salutary  description,  unless  solemn  trifling  with  the 
interests  of  the  perishing  heathen  is  to  be  considered  as  salutary 
and  useful.  For  what,  after  all,  do  such  conventions  produce  ? 
Perhaps  a  few  good  resolutions  moved  seconded  and  adopted,  the 
performance  of  which  is  always  doubtful,  and  as  I  have  already 
shown,  sometimes  impracticable.  No  doubt  they  elect  a  board  of 
managers,  but  in  general  these  managers  have  nothing  more  to  do 
in  missionary  direction  than  the  slips  they  occupy  for  the  time 
being  in  the  place  of  meeting  where  they  are  convened,  while  this 
idle  position,  this  otium  cum  dignitate ,  is  coveted  and  sought  after; 
and  on  the  last  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the  Triennial  Conven¬ 
tion  at  Baltimore,  was  made  the  arena  of  the  alleged  influence  of 
pro-slavery  men  over  the  real  directors  and  managers  of  the  conven¬ 
tion  in  the  disposal  of  this  dignity.  And  are  such  doings  worthy 
of  men  whose  minds  are  enlightened  as  to  the  claims  of  the  per¬ 
ishing  heathen?  Solemn  trifling  and  idle  words  at  an  expense  of 
some  $5000,  which  would  have  sufficed  to  have  employed  several 
missionaries  for  years,  preaching  the  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of 
His  Son,  in  the  promising  field  of  missionary  labor  now  opened 
up  in  China,  but  which  cannot  be  occupied,  it  seems,  for  want  of 
funds — $5000  expended  for  the  benefit  of  rail  road  and  steam  boat 
corporations,  to  bring  together  men,  not  as  the  representatives  of 
the  piety  and  the  wisdom  of  the  churches  of  Christ,  but  actually  as 
the  representatives  of  their  wealth;  and  this  ostensibly  for  the  benefit 
of  the  perishing  heathen  !  !  ! 

3.  Another  advantage  resulting  from  the  proposed  plan,  if 
adopted,  would  arise  from  the  circumstance  of  the  funds  employed 
in  missionary  enterprize  being  all  derived  from  sources  satisfactory 
to  the  parties,  under  whose  superintendence  they  would  be  ex¬ 
pended,  and  the  independence  of  the  churches  secured,  both  in 
the  north  and  in  the  south  upon  the  subject  of  slavery,  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen. 


4.  The  plan  proposed,  if  adopted,  will  introduce  and  promote 
a  system  of  liberality  towards  the  support  of  missionary  effort  and 
every  other  benevolent  enterprize,  now  so  lamentably  deficient. 

The  complaint  has  become  universal  respecting  the  absence  of 
liberality  in  pecuniary  contributions,  from  all  the  orthodox  mis¬ 
sionary  organizations  in  the  land.  But  I  do  not  blame  the  churches 
so  much  for  withholding  it,  as  the  system  which  is  so  clamorous  to 
obtain  contributions,  because  the  responsibility  of  the  churches  has 
never  been  urged  upon  them  in  a  tangible  shape.  It  has  always 
come  before  them  in  a  vague  and  undefined  form;  but  the  plan 
submitted  for  the  adoption  of  the  churches,  brings  responsibility  to 
every  Christian’s  door,  under  a  system  from  which  none  can  or 
ought  to  be  exempted,  and  men’s  professions  of  religion  w'ould  be, 
to  some  extent  at  least,  tried  by  their  works  under  its  operation. 
For  lack  of  a  system  of  responsibility,  the  commission  of  Christ 
which  enjoins  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  has  been  fed  like 
Lazarus  by  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  our  tables,  and  men  have 
been  permitted  to  rob  God  in  tithes  and  offerings  without  any 
feeling  of  compunction  or  remorse,  as  if  it  were  no  crime  to  in¬ 
dulge  in  covetous  desires  and  ambitious  projects,  while  the  word 
of  God  sounds  in  their  ears,  that  no  covetous  man  who  is  an  idol¬ 
ater  hath  any  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God. 

With  a  system  of  weekly  contributions,  such  as  I  have  recom¬ 
mended  from  the  word  of  God,  such  a  state  of  things  could  not  ex¬ 
ist  as  is  at  present  displayed  by  all  denominations  with  regard  to 
pecuniary  effort.  At  the  late  missionary  conference  of  the  Bap¬ 
tist  denomination,  held  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  one  member  de¬ 
clared  that  the  church  of  which  he  was  the  pastor,  could  do  with 
ease  for  the  missionary  enterprize  all  that  was  contributed  by  the 
Baptist  churches  in  the  United  States  for  the  same  purpose. 
Startling  as  is  such  an  announcement  with  God’s  declared  hatred 
of  covetousness,  and  its  total  inconsistency  with  the  Christian  char¬ 
acter,  yet  I  believe  there  are  many  such  churches,  not  only  in  the 
Baptist  denomination,  but  in  every  other  denomination  in  the  land 
who  are  in  the  possession  of  wealth,  but  will  part  with  no  more 
than  is  barely  sufficient  to  maintain  the  decencies  of  public  wor¬ 
ship,  and  even  this  in  so  limited  a  degree  that  the  ministry  of  such 
churches  is  held  on  a  pinching  tenure,  approaching  to,  if  not  abso- 


/ 


37 

kite  poverty,  while  the  cause  of  God  in  the  regions  beyond  them 
must  be  supported  by  contributions,  which  is  to  them  of  no  com¬ 
parative  importance,  and  go  a  begging  elsewhere  to  receive  a  sim¬ 
ilar  stinted  measure  of  countenance,  that  so  it  may  not  absolutely 
perish.  We  want  then  a  system,  and  such  a  system  as  will  insure 
the  action  of  responsibility  in  contributing  of  our  pecuniary  means 
for  every  department  of  the  service  of  God.  Such  a  system  the 
word  of  God  has  unfolded.  It  possesses  the  attribute  of  being 
purely  voluntary  and  not  compulsory,  leaving  to  every  individual 
to  fix  the  weekly  amount  of  his  contributions,  in  accordance  with 
his  general  circumstances,  while  it  at  the  same  time  enables  his 
brethren  to  judge  of  his  sincerity  and  conscientiousness  in  doing  so. 

5.  Another  advantage  resulting  from  the  plan  I  have  proposed 
would  be,  that  the  missionary  enterprize  would  not  be  presented 
in  its  present  imposing  sectarian  attitude ,  either  at  home  or 
abroad.  For  example,  individual  missionaries  would  be  found 
prosecuting  their  labours  and  advocating  their  peculiar  views  of 
the  ordinances  of  Jesus  Christ,  not  as  the  representatives  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  of  England  or  of  America,  but  of  individual 
churches.  Truth  would  not  be  presented  so  strongly  denomina¬ 
tional  as  is  now  done  by  Baptists  and  Pedo  Baptists.  Individual 
effort  would  be  displayed  to  the  perishing  heathen  on  the  part  of 
the  missionary,  not  as  the  action  of  a  unit  of  a  large  and  powerful 
denomination,  but  as  that  of  a  unit  of  an  independent  body  of 
Christians,  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

With  regard  to  the  influence  of  the  proposed  plan  upon  party 
spirit  at  home,  there  would  be  a  corresponding  advantage  gained, 
as  by  its  adoption  there  would  be,  to  some  extent,  at  least  a  les¬ 
sening  of  sectarian  influence,  so  far  as  the  diminution  of  denomi¬ 
national  masses  is  concerned  in  missionary  organizations.  Such 
masses,  controlled  as  they  often  are  by  the  elite  of  the  various 
denominations,  have  naturally  this  tendency,  keeping  sects  apart 
from  each  other,  producing  exclusiveness,  fortifying  prejudice  and 
strengthening  those  platforms  of  doctrine  or  order,  which  operate 
so  disastrously  to  the  cause  of  truth  by  impeding  investigation. 

6.  Another  advantage  resulting  from  the  proposed  plan  would 
be,  the  sympathy  produced  by  it  in  behalf  of  the  missionary.  At 
present  this  exists  nowhere  but  in  the  imagination  of  those  who 


i 


33 


know  no  better.  It  may  be  felt  officially  by  the  Board  under 
whom  he  serves,  but  it  ought  to  be  felt  as  for  the  ministry  at  home, 
and  even  to  a  far  greater  degree  by  personal  considerations,  such 
as  the  plan  proposed  would  serve  to  elicit.  For  instance,  the 
correspondence  being  mutual,  and  direct,  and  regular,  would  in¬ 
sure  a  sympathy  which  cannot  exist  under  the  present  system. 
The  journal  of  a  missionary  in  such  a  connection  would  be  read 
with  an  interest  which  is  nowhere  displayed  by  the  perusal  of 
such  a  document  in  the  pages  of  a  magazine.  Our  missionary 
would  sound  somewhat  like  our  minister  in  the  ears  of  an  affec¬ 
tionate,  a  deeply  devoted  and  pious  people.  They  would  then 
have  an  object  to  pray  for  in  the  success  of  his  labors,  and  a  soli¬ 
citude  to  feel  for  his  personal  comfort,  which  is  unknown  by  the 
existing  plan  of  operations;  while  this  very  sympathy  would  ope¬ 
rate  in  producing  a  missionary  spirit  it  is  probable,  in  the  breasts 
of  many  among  them,  who  would  seek  to  share  in  person  with 
him  his  toils,  his  privations,  and  his  triumphs  in  the  propagation 
of  the  gospel.  And  this  is  just  what  is  wanted.  Missionaries 
ought  to  be  augmented  ten  thousand  fold.  By  the  present  system 
this  is  impossible,  while  the  plan  laid  down  by  me  is  evidently 
calculated  to  do  so. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  obvious  advantages  which  would  result 
from  the  adoption  of  the  plan  proposed,  to  give  energy  and  power 
to  missionary  enterprize.  I  have  now  to  notice  some  anticipated 
objections  to  the  proposed  plan. 

1.  Missionaries  would  not  be  inclined  to  exercise  that  confi¬ 
dence  in  churches  which  they  now  repose  in  missionary  societies 
or  boards  for  their  support.  This  objection  supposes  that  men 
will  be  governed  by  sordid  pecuniary  considerations  in  this  matter, 
and  that  the  spirit  which  is  enkindled  in  the  bosom  of  the  mission¬ 
ary,  of  love  to  Christ  and  to  the  perishing  souls  of  the  heathen, 
would  be  quenched  for  lack  of  confidence  in  the  church  for  his 
support,  which  designates  him  and  sends  him  forth  to  his  field  of 
missionary  labor.  I  have  shown  that  by  the  proposed  plan  of  sys¬ 
tematic  responsibility  with  regard  to  pecuniary  contributions  ope¬ 
rating  in  churches,  there  would  be  always  abundance  and  to  spare 
for  the  support  of  every  good  work,  and  therefore  no  missionary 
under  its  operation  could  miss  an  adequate  and  due  support,  which 


39 


he  hardly  enjoys  by  the  present  eleemosynary  system  of  contribu¬ 
tion  to  missionary  boards.  My  plan  is  to  remove  him  from  a  de¬ 
pendence  upon  a  society  supported  by  a  miserable  system  of  men¬ 
dicity,  to  one  of  simple  dependence  upon  the  church  of  which  he  is 
a  member,  and  for  which  he  is  a  missionary  of  the  cross  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  who  of  their  abundance  shall  minister  to  his  necessi¬ 
ties  upon  the  same  principle  upon  which  they  support  their  minis¬ 
ter  at  home. 

2.  Another  objection  may  be  anticipated  and  answered,  as 
arising  from  the  difficulty  of  possessing  in  our  churches  suitable 
persons  for  conducting  the  necessary  correspondence  with  the 
missionaries  employed.  But  surely  between  pastors,  church 
clerks  and  deacons,  so  very  simple  a  matter  as  this  cannot  be  seri¬ 
ously  urged  ^s  an  objection.  There  is  no  mystery  in  such  mat¬ 
ters,  at  least  there  should  be  none. 

3.  Another  objection  may  be  stated  and  obviated,  and  that  is, 
the  difficulty  of  remitting  monies  to  the  missionaries  employed  in 
foreign  lands.  To  this  I  reply  that  commercial  houses  of  agency 
are  to  be  found  in  all  directions,  who  receive  money  and  pay  drafts 
upon  them  with  as  much  readiness  from  or  in  behalf  of  an  individ¬ 
ual,  as  they  will  from  a  corporate  body.  The  difference  betwixt 
a  number  of  churches  remitting  monies  abroad,  and  that  of  a  so¬ 
ciety  or  board,  would  be  a  mere  matter  of  postage  and  not  one  of 
impracticability,  as  some  may  suppose.  Nothing  is  more  easy. 
The  directors  of  missions  find  more  difficulty  in  getting  the  money 
from  the  public,  than  they  do  in  remitting  it  to  the  missionaries; 
the  latter  trouble  never  turned  any  man’s  hair  gray,  the  former 
doubtless  has  in  some  cases  contributed  to  do  so. 

4.  Another  objection  may  arise,  and  that  is  the  difficulty  of 
fixing  upon  proper  spheres  of  missionary  labor.  This  objection 
disappears  when  we  consider  that  by  the  proposed  plan  there 
could  be  no  objection  against  the  occupying  of  the  present  loca¬ 
tions,  but  especially  when  we  reflect  that  missionaries  are  re¬ 
quired  in  every  heathen  land  where  they  would  be  tolerated. 
Shew  me  a  spot  on  earth  where  the  gospel  has  not  been  preached, 
or  is  not  preached,  and  there  is  the  spot  where  we  are  bound  to 
carry  it. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  anticipated  objections  against  the  pro- 


40 


posed  plan.  I  know  of  no  others  which  can  stand  examination, 
I  fear  none  but  such  as  that  pride  which  courts  distinction,  covet¬ 
ousness,  and  the  love  of  the  world  will  bring  against  it.  May  the 
Lord  consume  such  objections  with  the  breath  of  His  mouth  and 
with  the  brightness  of  His  coming.  Prejudice  in  favor  of  old  es¬ 
tablished  practice  may  also  shake  its  hoary  locks  and  say,  u  beware 
of  tampering  with  that  which  time  has  rendered  venerable.  ”  But 
let  the  pile  be  what  it  may,  the  foundation  I  have  proved  to  be  rick¬ 
ety,  insecure,  and  even  condemned  by  the  word  of  God  as  raised 
without  His  authority;  and  although  it  has  stood  for  half  a  century, 
it  ought  to  come  down  and  give  place  to  one  possessing  divine 
authority,  upon  which  missionary  enterprize  could  build  upwards 
and  onwards  to  eternity. 

I  am  well  aware,  that  before  the  plan  I  have  submitted  for  the 
consideration  of  the  people  of  God  can  be  adopted  generally,  they 
must  display  a  higher  tone  of  piety  in  their  souls,  and  a  deeper  sense 
of  obligation  to  the  love  of  God  than  appears  at  present.  Both  are 
lamentably  deficient.  That  this  high  tone  and  that  this  sense  of  ob¬ 
ligation  is  deficient  in  the  churches,  is  however  their  crime  and 
not  their  misfortune,  and  ought  to  be  sought  after  and  obtained 
without  delay.  It  is  not  wealth  nor  membership  which  we  re¬ 
quire,  but  divine  influence  which  is  needed  to  effect  this,  com¬ 
bined  with  scriptural  views  of  duty,  inducing  to  a  holy  consecra¬ 
tion,  such  as  our  obligations  to  God  should  produce,  and  which 
His  cause  demands.  Under  the  views  which  I  have  presented 
of  the  'duty  of  churches  as  to  the  support  and  propagation  of  the 
gospel,  this  holy  consecration  is  not  dependent  upon  the  posses¬ 
sion  of  wealth,  but  upon  self-denial ,  and  honorable  as  this  is  in 
the  sight  of  God,  it  is  within  the  reach  of  every  individual  to  dis¬ 
play  it,  with  but  few  exceptions.  It  is  testified  of  the  churches 
of  Macedonia  u  how  that  in  a  great  trial  of  affliction,  the  abun¬ 
dance  of  their  joy  and  their  deep  poverty  abounded  unto  the  riches 
of  their  liberality.” 

Some  may  think  the  application  of  such  a  rule  as  I  advocate  as 
to  contributions  for  the  support  of  the  gospel  would  be  grievous 
and  burdensome,  but  I  am  convinced  it  would  be  found  the  re¬ 
verse,  and  would  prove  a  source  of  joy  and  satisfaction  to  every 
rightly  constituted  mind  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  divine  Re- 


41 


deemer,  besides  contributing  much  to  the  peace  and  to  the  har¬ 
mony  of  churches. 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  by  every  individual  joining  him¬ 
self  to  the  churches  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  the  cause  of  God  in 
which  he  is  embarked,  requires  pecuniary  support,  and  must  have 
it  in  accordance  with  the  scriptural  precedent  and  rule  which  regu¬ 
lates  the  pecuniary  contributions  oj  churches ,  “  upon  the  first  day 
of  the  iveek  let  every  one  ofi  you  lay  by  him  in  store  as  the  Lord 
hath  prospered  him ,  ”  and  from  the  application  of  which  to  his 
circumstances  there  must  be  no  shrinking  nor  holding  back  per¬ 
mitted,  u  for  with  such  sacrifices  God  is  well  pleased.  ” 

Such  expectations  should  not  be  concealed  from  the  member¬ 
ship  of  churches.  They  ought  to  hold  a  prominent  place  in  all 
church  articles  of  faith  and  covenant  engagements,  and  should  be 
forthwith  universally  adopted,  not  as  a  hardship  or  as  a  grievance, 
but  as  a  high  privilege.  A  fifth  part  of  income  was  required  by 
the  benefactor  of  Egypt  for  the  service  of  its  monarch,  for  the 
purpose  of  maintaining  the  government  of  the  country.  This  was 
far  from  being  an  oppressive  impost,  and  when  all  things  are  con¬ 
sidered,  was  a  wise  and  a  proper  one.  The  Egyptians  consid¬ 
ered  it  to  be  so,  for  Joseph  was  hailed  as  the  saviour  of  the  coun¬ 
try,  and  its  benefactor;  and  shall  Christians  grudge  a  tenth  or  even 
a  twentieth  of  their  incomes  to  the  service  of  Him,  who  hath  re¬ 
deemed  them  with  His  own  precious  blood  from  the  lowest  hell, 
while  they  behold  a  heathen  nation  willingly  yielding  a  fifth  of  their 
yearly  incomes  at  the  demand  of  a  man  who  had  only  saved  their 
lives  from  famine,  and  their  nation  from  ruin. 

Under  the  present  system  of  supporting  the  cause  of  God  and 
propagating  the  gospel,  too  much  is  expected  from  the  wealthy 
on  the  part  of  those  who  find  it  convenient  to  plead  their  poverty 
as  an  excuse  for  the  smallness  of  their  contributions,  but  which  is 
occasioned  not  by  their  poverty,  but  by  the  lack  of  self-denial. 
This  is  an  intolerable  meanness  which  ought  to  be  discounte¬ 
nanced  wherever  it  is  displayed,  and  Christians  ought  to  know 
that  it  is  not  wealth  after  all,  but  self-denial  on  which  dependance 
should  be  placed  for  the  support  and  the  propagation  of  the  gos¬ 
pel  both  at  home  and  abroad.  In  the  exercise  of  self-denial  on 
the  part  of  Christians,  all  that  the  world  requires  to  supply  its 
6 


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spiritual  destitution  can  be  obtained  without  difficulty,  and  a  stop 
put  to  the  present  eleemosynary  system,  which  in  my  humble 
opinion  is  as  disgraceful  to  religion  as  it  is  pernicious  to  its  in¬ 
terests. 

In  conclusion,  for  the  members  of  the  various  boards  and  so¬ 
cieties  employed  in  the  work  of  conducting  foreign  mission¬ 
ary  operations,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  I  entertain  the 
most  profound  respect.  With  not  a  few  of  the  members  of 
such  boards  and  societies  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  personal 
acquaintanceship  and  friendship,  and  which  I  hope  will  continue, 
and  wherever  I  have  labored  in  the  pastoral  office  I  have 
done  all  in  my  power  to  sustain  them  and  hold  them  up  to  pub¬ 
lic  confidence.  But  1  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the  conviction 
that  the  system  of  organization  pursued  by  all  is  not  com¬ 
petent  for  the  task  it  has  assumed,  and  that  it  has  had,  and  still 
has  a  paralyzing  influence  upon  the  churches,  leading  them  to 
delegate  to  such  bodies  their  own  proper  work ,  instead  of  evan¬ 
gelizing  the  heathen  by  their  direct  and  personal  effort;  committing 
this  most  important  of  all  duties,  next  to  that  of  their  own  salvation, 
to  a  delegation  such  as  a  missionary  board,  comprizing  a  few  indi¬ 
viduals  raised  to  notoriety  by  its  operation,  and  possessing  appa¬ 
rently  a  life  interest  in  the  important  matter  of  conducting,  in  a 
kind  of  wholesale  w7ay,  missionary  enterprize  among  the  heathen. 

Such  a  state  of  things  as  I  have  pointed  out  ought  not  to  con¬ 
tinue  any  longer.  The  churches  of  Jesus  Christ  I  trust  will 
awake,  and  shake  themselves  from  the  dust  of  sloth  and  love  of 
the  world,  and  look  no  longer  on  their  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others  with  the  benevolence  of  Christ 
streaming  from  their  hearts,  till  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary 
place  shall  be  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose. 


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